Rules of Engagement
by Ronja-R
Summary: A series of episodic stories set during Chuck and Blair’s engagement. Completed.
1. Proposal

New series of sorts that I started jotting down the other night, when I felt I needed something lighter and more CB-y in contrast to my other current story… and I thought I'd better go ahead and post this before people start to think I hate them together ;)

I have no idea how often this one will be updated, or if it will ever get to the finish line, since I just started with it… Basically it's going to be a series of episodic stories set during Chuck and Blair's engagement, presumably ending with their wedding (and by "presumably", I mean if I ever get that far with the story). Since there isn't much of a story-arc, hopefully it will be able to work even if I never get enough ideas to bring the story all the way to the altar.

Anyhow, I hope it will be an enjoyable read!

Oh, and it might be worth mentioning, last episode I've seen is **310**. Thus whatever happens after that might not have happened here.

* * *

"This is so typically you" Blair griped as she and Chuck made their way from her dorm towards the street where the limo would pick them up. "Just because it's the fifth time we've watched a movie since we've been dating, that doesn't give you a free pass to ruin move night."

"I wouldn't have to if we for once watched something new" Chuck said, unable to hide how entertained he was by her anger.

She scoffed and made an angry face at him. But she was holding his hand as they walked, so she clearly wasn't too angry. She had made a dramatic exit from his penthouse the night before, declaring him hopeless and a complete bore, but when he showed up at her dorm to take her to lunch she had relented far more quickly than she did when really angry.

"Fine if you don't think the movie is fantastic" she said. "But you could at least not start snoring halfway through it."

"It's a really long movie."

"It's a classic!"

"Maybe so… But I never liked it much the first time around."

She gasped and he chuckled, squeezing her hand as they through a silent agreement took a detour over to the grass to avoid having to pass too close to Vanessa who was coming in from her second class.

"Look, the first half is okay" he said as they stepped off campus. "But the second half just drags on and on and on for an eternity. Even the main character gets bored by the end and decides to leave."

"You just have no appreciation for a true classic" she said. "_'Gone with the Wind'_ is a-"

"It's a soap opera in movie format. While it was kind of fun that you got Dorota to dress up as Mammy that year we went as Scarlett and Rhett for Halloween, my interest in that particular movie is rather low, and I only agreed to that theme in the first place because it made you oddly aroused."

"Fine. But don't think I will go with you to see one of your stupid action flicks next time."

"When have you ever gone with me to see one of those?"

"Well you can rest assured I never will."

He couldn't help but smile at the indignity she felt over his lack of enthusiasm with some of her favorite movies. It had always frustrated her that he didn't share Nate's patience with watching the same movie time and time again.

"You know, speaking strictly from a boyfriend's point of view, this passion for classic romantic Hollywood movies is a damn inconvenience" he said.

"What do you mean?"

"They set your standards way too high. How is a guy to live up to your expectations of romantic gestures and romantic ways to move our relationship forward?"

"I don't have unreasonable expectation" she objected.

"When I asked you to move in with me you turned me down because I had the audacity of asking you casually over breakfast."

"Well I just feel that such a moment should-"

"Exactly. You have no idea how nerve-wracking it is to always have to worry about proper presentation, or that some special occasion will be ruined for you because I failed to do something romantic enough."

"I take it this is brought on by the fact that today is our three year anniversary?" Blair said and smiled for the first time since he had knocked on her door.

"Indeed" he agreed.

They reached his limo and he opened the door for her.

"Chuck, don't worry about it" she said. "I may like my romantic gestures, but sometimes I just want plain old you."

"Reassuring" he said with a skeptical frown as she stepped into the car and he followed.

"Besides, I have to disagree with you about me always needing the big gestures. Most of our relationship landmarks happened by this very limo. And that's not what I would call Old Hollywood romantic."

"You're right…" he nodded. "The first time we had sex was in this limo, which was definitely a landmark. In fact, it's probably the reason we are here today."

"So I can blame your limo for not going to Yale?" she joked.

"That night was a first of many. First time you were free of Nate, first time you let yourself loose for real, first time I saw that something in you… And of course the first time we kissed, and your first time. You're right, a lot of important moments for us happened around this limo."

"The first time we said _'I love you'_…" Blair added to the list. "Mine of course was a screaming success."

"It meant more than you knew."

"Still, I much prefer the first time _you_ said those words."

"I thought I was doomed for sure" he smiled. "Then I figured some old-school Hollywood romance was the only thing that could save me."

"Thus the gifts from around the world? Well that was awfully romantic… and I was kind of impressed that you knew exactly what my favorites were. But Chuck, all I needed for that moment to be perfect was three words, eight letters."

"I realized that when you were so caught up in kissing me that you dropped the macaroons on the street."

"They were still delicious… if somewhat squished."

"Well it's been three years to the day since we ate those macaroons in a fit of the munchies in the middle of the night. And I'll have you know I've been making myself crazy trying to figure out what to do to make tonight perfect. Not to mention what to give you!"

"Aw, I love presents."

"Don't get too excited. I decided to recycle something."

She made a face that made him laugh.

"Obviously you didn't lose _too_ much sleep worrying what to get your precious girlfriend for our anniversary."

"Oh don't worry, it's nothing shabby. It's something that makes me think of you… But the biggest problem has been figuring out what to do for tonight."

"Well…" she said and smiled. "If you haven't figured anything out yet, or if what you have figured out kind of sucks, then may I offer a suggestion?"

"Be my guest."

"Cancel all reservations or other plans you might have made for tonight, send Nate away for the evening, have them light a few hundred candles around your penthouse, order us up some nice dinner. We have a romantic dinner, and then we have sex until we're so exhausted we have to call Nate and tell him to come back home just so that someone will make sure all the candles are snuffed out."

"So, a regular Thursday?"

"I want to prove to you that the only thing that really matters to me is that I'm with you" she said.

"Wow. I stand corrected" he said and leaned in for a kiss.

"Mm. Feel free to mention that in your blog."

He chuckled and shook his head slightly. Then he looked at her in the way he usually did before making some grand statement of his feelings for her. She had gotten used to his random outbursts of verbal affection, which didn't come often, and when they did come it was usually more or less out of the left field.

"I want you to know…" he began, "how special these past 1095,25 days have been to me."

"Math before lunch? Why did I have to go fall in love with a business man?"

"Oh I'll do math at any time of the day for you, baby."

She laughed and looked at him expectantly. She loved these love monologues of his, and it had been months since she had last gotten one.

"I really mean it, these past three years have been the best of my life."

"Aw. I already know, though. It's the same for me."

"That means I top Nate" he said jokingly. "Score! But in all seriousness… I love you. More and more each day. I had never had a girlfriend before you and all I kept hearing people say was that the honeymoon period is great and then it gets mundane. Less sex, less appreciation of one another, more fighting… I was prepared for that to happen but it hasn't. Well, we don't have sex around the clock more or less every day as we did that first summer, but we've still got a highly active sex life."

"To the great horror of the whiners who have the dorm room next to mine."

"The mornings I wake up next to you I still have to take a moment to believe it's really true that you're there, and that you're mine. I've never wanted anybody else but you, and if I am anything like my father I never will want anyone else than my first love. I know we never really talk about the future, but I hope you know you are the One, and when I think of my future you are a definite part of it."

She smiled lovingly and his smile got a bit wider. She thought that she really should tell him that she could easily live without the big romantic gestures so long as she could have these speeches but he seemed to be on a roll and she didn't want to interrupt him now.

"I think we both know that this thing between us is the real deal. That we are _it_ for each other. At least that's how I feel and I hope you feel that way too."

He moved closer to her and leaned in to kiss her. He worked his way from her mouth down to her neck and then breathed hotly into her ear.

"I used to think Chuck Bass needed no one…" he said. "That I was at my best on my own. Who the hell was I kidding? The only things I have accomplished that I can be proud of have been because of you. Starting with when you supported my idea to buy Victrola… We're a package deal you and I, turns out Chuck Bass is nothing worthwhile without Blair Waldorf."

"All I've done is believe in you…" she mumbled, closing her eyes when he continued placing kisses on the side of her face. "You did the real part on your own."

"I never would have done any of it if it hadn't been for you… I love you so much."

"And I think you're pretty okay."

He chuckled and let his right hand stroke her left cheek while he placed kisses along her right jaw line.

"Blair… I want to give you your present now."

"I don't have mine with me."

"That's okay. Can I give you my present now?"

"Only if you promise you will finish what your lips have started."

"Sure…"

He slowly moved himself downward, letting his right hand trail down her side until it found her left hand. The kisses stopped and she opened her eyes, looking down at him with a combination of annoyance and curiosity.

"If you want to give me something right here and now…" he said. "How about a promise of your hand in marriage?"

Her jaw fell slightly and she noticed that he had actually moved so that he was on one knee before her in the limo. He lifted her left hand to his mouth and kissed her ring finger.

"Blair… I know you don't like recycled gifts, but this ring was my mother's engagement ring" he said and held up a diamond ring in his left hand. "I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to ask you to wear it; the last thing I would want is for your reaction to be similar to when I asked you to move in… Then you said that thing about how most of our milestones have happened around this limo and I realized the limo might feel left out if it wasn't included in this moment."

"Are… are you asking me to marry you?"

"I've been meaning to ask you for some time now. I am sure about this relationship. I have been from the start. I hope you are too. And I hope you will do me the honor of being my wife."

"Chuck Bass…" she said. "Did you really think that there was anything you could have done with a proposal that would make my answer anything other than... 'What took you so long to ask'?"

"Does that mean yes?"

"It means absolutely."

He pressed his lips hard and long against her ring finger, and she laughed happily, feeling a bit silly over the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. He slid the diamond ring onto her finger and she held up her hand to admire the effect. Then she looked at him and wondered if she had ever been this happy before. His eyes looked at her in that adoring way which always made her heart melt. She slid down her seat until she was sitting on the floor with him.

"I love you" she said and gently caressed his cheek before meeting him in a kiss.

"Love you more" he mumbled and kissed her again.

"No, I love you more."

"I love you the most. Infinity."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Just so you know Bass… Whatever you had planned for your proposal, it couldn't have measured up to this."

"Don't you want to know what my plan was?"

"Pray tell."

"I've booked us our old room at the Palace, you know, the one that was our love nest back when we were a new couple. I left instructions for them to fill the room with roses and candles, and leave a bottle of Dom for us, just like it was that first night you were my girlfriend. I thought we could… reenact that night, when we first made love as a real couple, in that very hotel room. And while we drank the champagne between love sessions, I was going to pop the question."

"Okay you should have gone with that" Blair said. "But… Then again, I think it would have hurt the limo's feelings."

He laughed and kissed her again.

"Now do you want to reenact our first night together… or our first night together as a couple? We can either consummate this engagement right here and now, or we can wait and do it at the Palace tonight."

"I think we're almost at the restaurant" Blair said. "Let's go with the Palace. I don't think the limo would mind…"

Five minutes later they stepped out of the car in front of the restaurant where they had lunch reservations. Chuck reached for Blair's left hand, the one he usually held, but she pulled it away and moved over to his other side. He raised an eyebrow as she took his left hand in her right.

"Hold my ring free hand" she said.

"I like holding the one with the ring on it" he objected.

"Be sentimental on your own time. Everyone should be able to see that I have a shiny, new ring on my finger."

"I wouldn't exactly call it new…"

"All I'm saying is what's the point of being engaged if nobody can see it and be jealous?"

He rolled his eyes but obediently held her right hand as they walked into the restaurant to order some champagne and have a celebratory lunch. Now with one more thing to celebrate than before, and with one less worry on his mind.

* * *

Hope that was interesting! A second part will be up in a week or so, and after that... we'll see. Please leave a review! Constructive comments are always appreciated.


	2. Setting the Date

Wow, thanks for the great reviews =) Glad to know people liked it! And I'm especially glad that some liked my attempted comedy. I will be trying to add a touch of comedy to this series to lighten them and make them less drama-y.

On a different note, I feel like I should make a little disclaimer… The idea is basically to show bits and pieces of all kinds of things that can happen during a course of an engagement, including of course the actual wedding planning. Only, I'm not American, I'm Scandinavian, and our traditions and customs aren't necessarily the same, but I can't say I know what differs… So if there's anything that makes you go ??? as far as traditions and customs and so forth go, then you will know what the reason is. Hopefully I'll be able to make it at least relatively realistic and not get too many things wrong =)

Okay, enough talking on my part! On with chapter two!

* * *

"I can't believe Chuck Bass is beating me to the altar" Nate groaned when he got back to New York a few weeks after the engagement. "And it's with the girl I thought I would marry when I grew up."

"Look at it from the bright side," Chuck said, "at least you won't have to be at the receiving end of Bridezilla Blair."

They were in the middle of a game of pool and Chuck had just filled Nate in on the details of the engagement. The blast had been on _Gossip Girl_ a few hours after the proposal and the phone had been ringing off the hook since then. It had been quite a surprise to learn how many people not only knew about the blog but appeared to follow it. Jack Bass had been kind enough to send them an actual ball and chain with a letter that offered his condolences to Chuck for effectively ending the good part of his life, and welcoming Blair to the family by telling her just how miserable she would be as a Bass. Several florists, caterers, designers and what not had called to offer their services for the wedding. Blair had been excited, Chuck had groaned and, only half in jest, suggested Vegas, and for the time being Dorota's new full-time job was to answer calls concerning the upcoming nuptials.

"Speaking of, where is the bride to be?" Nate asked.

"She's spending most of her time looking for the perfect wedding planner. Apparently none of the ones Lily suggested were good enough. I wish I could say I was joking, but she actually held a screening of about a dozen candidates yesterday at the Met steps."

"Good to know some things never really change" Nate chuckled.

"I'm leaving as much of this as possible up to her" Chuck said. "I reserve the right to my veto, but ultimately I couldn't care less about how and when and where."

"Seriously? I mean, it's your wedding."

"So long as Blair ends up locked down and legally bound to me… the rest is irrelevant. To Blair on the other hand, our marriage will be forever tainted if the ice sculptures aren't perfect and the candles are the wrong shade of white."

"Does this whole thing mean I have to start looking for new digs?" Nate asked. "Or are you fine with me staying here after you move out?"

"Who says I'm moving out?"

"Dude, you're getting married. You can't live at a hotel with your wife."

"For the first couple of months I intend to" Chuck said. "Can you imagine going looking for the perfect home with Blair in the middle of planning a wedding? The combination of her fussing about the wedding, nitpicking penthouses around New York and believing her survival depends on the proper interior decorating would be enough to drive one or both of us insane."

"Point taken. Of course, you could go and find the perfect place and present her with it as a morning gift."

"Not bad, Nathaniel…"

They both looked up from their game as Blair came through the door, in the same chirpy mood she had been in ever since Chuck had proposed.

"Hi" she beamed and put her ridiculously large purse, containing all her wedding-planner binders, down on the floor.

Chuck smiled at her and put his cue stick down on the table as she came over and put her arms around him before kissing him hello. Then she turned to Nate.

"Hi Nate."

"Hey Blair. Congratulations."

"Thank you. Now go."

"He just got back from Spain" Chuck objected.

"Sorry Blair, I'm kind of tired from the flight and not in the mood to head out on the town" Nate said.

"Fine. Suit yourself. But just so you know, there's about to be some quite intimate displays of affection, coupled with some endearments that may or may not be sweet enough that you should start worrying about diabetes."

"I'll take my chances" Nate sighed.

"I haven't seen you in hours, I've missed you" Blair said sweetly to Chuck and gave him a long kiss.

"Okay fine, I called your bluff" Nate sighed and put his cue stick down.

"I hadn't even gotten started" Blair said, slightly surprised.

"Well I fold nonetheless. Text me when it's safe for me to return to _my own home_."

He grabbed his jacket and hurried out the door, leaving the two affianced to themselves.

"That was kind of mean" Chuck smiled. "Poor Nathaniel driven away from home less than an hour after returning to it."

"He'll live."

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I set our wedding date!" Blair said, barely able to contain her excitement.

"What? I know I said I would leave most of the planning up to you, but the actual date is something I would like to have a say in."

"Well you don't. You're marrying me, so get used to not having a say in planning and organizing. Waldorfs plan, it's natural behavior on our part. Now clear your calendar for the date I set."

"You didn't think to at least discuss it with me?"

"Of course I did" she said. "But then things changed. See we want to have the wedding someplace special, I mean we are practically New York royalty."

"Over exaggeration of the millennium, but continue."

"Well most of the good places book up years in advance, and you're supposed to get married within a year after the engagement has been made official. Regardless I don't want to wait years to be your wife; I want us to be married before next summer."

"So far we are agreed" Chuck said.

"I had Dorota make some calls, and it turns out St. Patrick's Cathedral has had a cancellation! Isn't that fantastic? Sure, not for the bride who found her fiancé in bed with the secretary, I mean how clichéd can you get really? But for us!"

"St. Patrick's Cathedral? Why would you want to get married there?"

"Because it's a great place for a wedding! It's high status, it's pretty, it's--"

"It's scary as hell. You know how I feel about Neo-Gothic."

"Well it's either that or getting married in the lobby of your hotel, or my dorm room" Blair snarled, upset that he didn't see the wonderment of the location she had landed them.

"Blair, there are plenty of other churches in New York. Besides, you're a protestant."

"But you were baptized roman-catholic, and I spoke to a man at the deacon's office, or whatever you call it, and he said that so long as one half of the couple is catholic, and the other agrees to raising the children in a catholic fashion, then it's no problem."

"I may have been baptized catholic, but I hardly practice it."

"Minor point."

"Why does it even have to be a church?" he asked. "I would be more than happy having the wedding outdoors."

"Outdoors is so last decade. We want classic, something that won't make us dependant on weather conditions."

"Okay fine, I'll give you that, but I still don't like St. Patrick's."

"Chuck… St. Patrick's is one of the most romantic places you can have a wedding. And it's one of the few locations in New York grand enough to be suited for our love. Besides, I already booked it for the date we were offered."

Chuck sighed.

"Fine, I guess I can be alright with it if it means that much to you. But in return I want absolute say in color theme."

"We've already decided on purple" Blair informed him.

"Purple, huh?" Chuck said and smiled. "Now I remember why I'm marrying you…"

She smiled and let him kiss her.

"So like I said, the date has been set. Which brings me to the other reason I'm here."

"Might a humble groom ask what the date has been set to?"

"December 22nd."

"December? That's only…"

"Six months away. I know. Six months from today, actually. Isn't that great? Sure it means we'll have to plan real fast, but on the other hand it means we will be married this year! We can celebrate Christmas on our honeymoon, just the two of us…"

"Still, December? It's not exactly my favorite month."

"Well start liking it! The most special day of your life will be in December. I like the idea of a winter wedding. Everybody gets married in the summer, so that makes a winter wedding all the more special. And if we're lucky there will be lots of snow, and think of how great it will be with thousands of candles lit all over the place…"

"Are you sure about this? Six months is an awful short time to plan a wedding. Unless of course you're setting your sights on something small, in which case I want my real Blair back."

"Of course I won't go for anything small, silly" Blair said. "And yes, I'm sure. It will take a lot of work, but I've decided to take a sabbatical from college. Just this term… I don't think I will be able to focus on my studies anyway with our wedding ahead. Which brings me back to my other reason for stopping by… Come to bed with me."

"With pleasure" Chuck grinned.

"And let's make it real special. In fact, let's not leave bed until midnight."

"Why, what happens at midnight?"

"There's something I want to do that would be so romantic…" she said and kissed him sweetly.

"Tell me."

"Well, you know how some people don't have sex for a while before the wedding?"

"I've heard about couples who don't sleep together for a few weeks before the wedding night" Chuck said. "Why, what does that have to do with us?"

"I was thinking, tonight we should have sex for the last time before we're married."

He stared at her with disbelief. The smile and look on her face clearly suggested that she expected him to think this idea was wonderfully romantic, and not the worst news he had ever gotten.

"You're kidding" he said when he was able to find words again.

"No I'm not. It would be so romantic…"

"You couldn't go six months without having sex" he objected. "You can barely go six days. _I_ can barely go six days. I haven't gone six months without sex since I was thirteen!"

"Then it will be good for you. And think of how special it would make our wedding night."

"Think of how _short_ it would make our wedding night. You know what tends to happen when it's been a while."

"Well you're free to ride the unicycle whenever you want" Blair said.

"Is this some form of test? Like if I don't cheat on you when you're Lysistrating me I won't cheat on you ever?"

"Chuck, I think it's something sweet and romantic that will make our wedding night all the more special."

"It will be special no matter what" Chuck objected.

"I refuse to settle for plain old everyday special!"

"How silly of me, I forgot… Why settle for happiness when you can demand euphoria?"

"Don't you remember how special it was the first night we shared at the Palace after we got together?" she said and sweetly ran her hand up and down his chest. "That was the first time in like a year and a half that we slept together."

"That night was special because we had just gotten together."

"That was one of the reasons. And listen I know that this will be a bit rough, but I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think the payoff would be worth it, not to mention it allows us to spend our energy on other things. Like planning the wedding."

"Which we wouldn't need so much energy for in the first place if you hadn't set our wedding date for only six months away without even consulting me!"

"Okay then what day do you want to get married on?"

"I don't know! But I would like to at least get a say in it."

"Well I am not unreasonable. Stubborn I will admit to, but I am willing to reevaluate if presented with a good option. If you can find another location and set another date before August then we can discuss it. Until then, December 22nd it is. And after tonight I am officially no longer having pre-marital sex with you."

"God, you're making it _official_ too?"

"Don't get so mad. You'll thank me on our wedding night."

"I will have tied you to the bed and ravished you months before that."

"Hm. Seems like I might be spending most my nights at the dorm. Which is suitable actually, since you're not supposed to be living together with the person you're engaged to. True that was mainly in the olden days, but we have the rest of our lives together so what's six months of being more apart?"

"Blair" he groaned. "Let's not do this. It's not romantic, it's stupid. I can agree to one month of no sex before we're married, but not six."

"Too bad Bass."

He shook his head and a semi-triumphant smirk appeared on his face.

"You'll never last that long…" he said. "Three weeks from now you will be declaring what a stupid idea it was, while I contemplate whether or not I should give in to your attempts of seduction."

"That's what you think… Now meet me in the bedroom in five."

He groaned as she gave him a light pat on the cheek and then walked off in the direction of the bathroom. He had known she would be a handful during the engagement but he had not expected this turn of events. The thought of kidnapping her to a romantic location and getting married with only Nate and Serena there seemed more and more appealing by the minute.

* * *

I have no idea when I'll have a chapter three up... Soon, hopefully. But until then, thanks for reading, and please leave a review!


	3. Getting Started

Wrote this late last night, so it might not be the most to-the-point chapter of the bunch… I tend to ramble when I'm sleepy ;)

I would like to say thanks again for all the great, encouraging reviews. You make my day =) Hope I can continue to make this interesting.

* * *

"What do you think of lilies?"

Chuck reluctantly opened one eye and glanced over at Blair. The question had broken a long, peaceful silence and he had been letting his mind wander, far enough that it took him a second to puzzle together what the words she had said meant.

They were sitting on sun chairs out in the large garden at Harold and Roman's chateau, getting some sun and enjoying a few days of peace and quiet. Their planned summer vacation of six weeks had been slimmed down to just two, with Blair's new hectic wedding planning schedule demanding her presence in New York. Roman had been positively bubbly when they had arrived two days ago, whisking Blair away to discuss centerpieces and musical arrangements, and after a few exhausting hours of her enthusiastic stepfather's babbling she had fallen asleep on a couch. Chuck had reminded Roman that jetlag is worse when you travel west to east and carried her off to their bedroom while requesting the wedding talk be kept to a minimum.

He had almost gotten his wish. Eleanor and Cyrus were coming in from Paris for the last two days of Blair and Chuck's stay, to start discussing wedding plans for real. Chuck had quickly realized he had had little to no idea of just how hectic things could get once you started planning something of this scale, and the only thing that made him muster energy for it every time plans were mentioned was the look on Blair's face whenever the subject came up. Predictably she loved, loved, loved everything that had to do with dreaming up and then planning her perfect wedding. He found her excitement sweet, if somewhat tiresome at times, and knowing that the excitement was about the day when she would become his wife made him love her even more for each time her eyes got that sparkle.

However, that didn't mean that he wanted to live and breathe wedding already. In his mind he had assumed that the month leading up to the wedding would be all about preparing for the big day, but getting started half a year in advance was a bit too soon for his liking. He enjoyed listening to her excited ideas, but not all around the clock. Especially since she sometimes blurted out whatever thought passed through her head, which had lead to him having to shoot down a dozen not-so-thought-through ideas.

What he liked best was when she curled up to him when they had gone to bed and talked about how much she looked forward to the marriage. During those moments it was as if she slowed down and remembered what the whole thing was all about, and she invited him in to her world of planning, and they could talk at length about hopes, expectations, which traditions to follow and which not to – they had been in complete agreement that there would be only proper feeding of wedding cake, no playing with the food allowed – and what size they wanted their wedding to be. They would also talk about what came after the wedding. They had by now agreed that they wanted at least two children, perhaps more but preferably sticking to an even number. They had been in complete agreement about a summer house in the Hamptons, but so far hadn't reached any common ground on where in Europe they wanted to get a house. Most of what they talked about, both with the wedding and the marriage, would probably never be followed through with, but it was fantasizing that was the fun.

Right now Blair obviously wasn't in one of her let's-daydream moods. Her sunglasses had come off and she was sipping her daiquiri with a pondering facial expression. Chuck tried to remember what she had just said.

"Come again?"

"Lilies. What do you think of them?"

"In what context?"

"For the centerpieces!"

"Let's not get carried away again" he said and leaned back with a relaxed sigh. "This vacation is supposed to be about relaxation."

She was quiet for a moment, then a new idea popped into her head.

"Would it be too tacky to serve bass?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter" Chuck said, giving her a confounded look. "You would be serving it over my dead body."

"A simple '_yes_' would have sufficed."

"Sweetheart, for the last time, try and _relax_. At least wait until your mother gets here before you go nuts. You're never going to remember half of these random ideas by then anyway."

"I need to get an iBook."

"You need to get a Prozac. Do you want to go swimming? Take your mind off of planning White Poofy Dress Day?"

"I would never go for poofy" Blair objected. "You go ahead and take a swim. I'm staying on shore where my hair won't get wet."

She tossed him a sly smile and he grinned back. More likely her reason for staying on shore was to avoid a repeat of yesterday's incident. They had taken a walk after dinner, ending up by the lake and soon thereafter ending up in the lake. The last part had been rather abrupt, and Blair had shrieked at him for possibly ruining her dress, which her mother had designed. Her protests had been quickly silenced by his kisses, and he reckoned he had gotten pretty close to getting her to forget about her no sex rule before she had distracted him by splashing water on him and then swimming away.

The thought of going swimming by himself passed through his mind but he decided to stay with her. But when she two minutes later started talking about what kind of shoes would go with purple bridesmaids' dresses he groaned and tossed her his phone.

"Call Serena and gossip about whatever she's up to with that new guy of hers. If I hear one more wedding word out of you before Tuesday I will consider calling the whole thing off."

"Too bad Bass" she chirped, knowing fully well he was only kidding. "An espousal is a verbal contract. Don't think I won't drag you to court to make you hold up your end of the bargain."

He laughed and reached out his right hand to grab her left. He loved the feel of holding it and feeling the ring on her finger, almost as much as Blair loved holding her hand up to admire the jewelry.

"I'm sorry" he said. "I shouldn't joke about something like that."

"If you're going to, now is the time to do it" Blair said. "Say something like that in October and I might freak out."

"Don't worry, Waldorf. If I'm serious enough to ask permission from all three of your fathers before proposing to you, I'm serious enough to see it through. Even if you drive me up a tree during the engagement."

"Aw. I love how you're so randomly romantic."

He smiled and took a sip from his margarita. When she didn't say anything else he closed his eyes and let his mind wander again.

* * *

To Chuck's great surprise Blair actually toned down the wedding talk to a minimum for the next ten days. Roman got carried away a few times but was quickly reined in by Harold, who remembered his own engagement to Eleanor and reckoned Chuck could use a break. They spent most of their time getting as much rest as possible, sunning themselves, going for walks, going swimming, with the occasional game of croquet and a wine tasting thrown in for good measure. But come their last Friday in France, Blair's mother arrived on the scene, her first visit to the chateau, and vacation was officially over.

After a light dinner the betrothed couple sat down with the bride's mother and crowd of fathers to start hashing out the details.

"I hope you're prepared Charles" Harold said and poured him a large scotch. "This is going to be long and tiresome."

"Perfect practice before marriage" Eleanor said, and then caught what she had said and made an apologetic face.

"Something I took into consideration before proposing" Chuck assured her and rested his arm casually on the back of the couch, barely gracing Blair's shoulders.

"Ah, is that why it took you two months to ask her after you had asked us?" Cyrus said.

"Two months?" Blair echoed.

"That's how long it took me to settle on a suitable way of proposing" Chuck told her.

"And you ended up winging it in the back of your limo" Blair said, shaking her head in disbelief but shooting him a smile.

"Okay, okay, save the squabble for some other time" Eleanor said and opened a notebook. "The only squabble I want to hear tonight is about finances and guest lists. Blair you had already set the date and booked the location?"

"The church" Blair corrected her. "We still haven't booked a location for the reception yet. I was thinking the Met…"

"Great" Chuck said. "Out on the stairs?"

"Blair, dear, you might have wanted to have that detail somewhat ironed out before booking a church" Cyrus said.

"You might not be able to get a place at such short notice" Roman added.

"Well what about whatever place that couple who canceled had booked?" Harold suggested. "That should be available."

"Dad! I won't have some other couple's leftovers."

"If we don't get anything else, we haven't hosted a wedding yet at the Empire…" Chuck said. "The owners' wedding would certainly be a good premiere."

Blair nodded, having already made sure the Empire was kept open that weekend in case her other ideas would fail. She had her moments when she thought it would be incredibly romantic for them to have their reception at the hotel Chuck bought because of her belief in him, but she also had her moments when she felt it was far too simple for their wedding, five star or no, and that they needed someplace spectacular. So she kept the Empire as plan B while scouting around for plan A.

"Now, let's talk budget…" Harold said.

Chuck had suggested just days after proposing that they could pay for their wedding all by themselves, which had sent Blair into her first wedding freak-out. He had quickly learned that there was great shame attached to having to pay for your own wedding when you were in your twenties, and she had firmly shot down any suggestions he had had about paying for part of the wedding. An hour later when she had gone out shopping to calm her nerves he had called Harold and discussed the subject with him, eventually agreeing to set a budget, and anything that ended up exceeding that would be on Chuck's dime. Then they had sworn each other to secrecy, both realizing what would happen if Blair heard of the arrangement.

A couple of hours later they had finally gone over every step in the planning process, making lists left and right and finally landing on a budget and a very rough outline for what needed to be done, who should be doing it and by what date.

"God I hope we only have boys" Chuck whispered in Blair's ear.

She nodded slowly. Even she was a bit worn out by now. She had leaned back against him and curled her feet up underneath her on the couch almost an hour ago, petting Cat who had decided Chuck's lap was the best place to be, even though he was the only one to show little to no interest in the animal. Chuck was working on his second scotch, while Harold was on his third and Cyrus had already tossed in the towel and gone to bed. Roman had excused himself to go take a long, hot bath once he realized that the planning was officially over for now, and no more wedding excitement was in store for the time being.

A smile crept across Blair's face when she realized that for the first time in a long time both her biological parents were present, but neither of her stepfathers. It was just her, her mother, her father and her future husband. And Cat.

"She seems too little to get married…" Harold mused to Eleanor.

"I'll be twenty-two by the time I walk down the aisle" Blair objected. "Practically on the threshold of retirement."

"Yet still somehow not yet graduated from college" Chuck commented. "Does that make you the latest bloomer of all time, or the worst college student of all time?"

She gave him a look and grabbed his scotch to take a sip. When she was done he took it back and set the glass down on the small table next to him. The constellation of people present had occurred to him too and he realized how much it must mean to her.

"Blair and I really can't thank you enough for agreeing to serve as host and hostess" he said to his future parents-in-law. "Not that Cyrus wouldn't have done a good job hosting with you Eleanor, but he's not Blair's birth father."

"Anything for our little girl" Harold said with a typical nostalgic paternal smile.

"You say that now, wait till she decides she wants actual diamonds sewn in to her dress" Eleanor said. "There goes our budget, right then and there."

"I don't need anything like that" Blair objected. "Well, one diamond or two probably couldn't hurt… if we could find a proper place for them…"

Chuck smiled and kissed the top of her head. He tried to move to a more comfortable position but Cat made a growling noise that warned him not to rearrange his sleeping position.

"To think we always thought it would be Nate…" Eleanor mused and took a sip from her cognac.

"Mother!"

"What?"

Blair made a face and a less than discreet nod towards Chuck.

"Oh don't be silly Blair" Eleanor said. "I didn't mean any offense to Charles. You can't blame us for going years believing you would marry into the Archibald family."

"Well, luckily that didn't happen" Blair said, giving her mother a warning look.

"It's fine, Blair" Chuck said. "You haven't been with me half as long as you were with Nate. And I think everybody thought you would marry him."

"Instead I take it he's going to be the best man?" Harold said.

"Could we not talk about Nate right now?" Blair requested.

"Honey, we've never felt you made the wrong choice ending things with him" Eleanor said. "It was pretty clear from the start that your feelings for Charles went beyond what you felt for Nate. I don't think you can accuse us of having been unsupportive of this relationship."

"You have been very supportive. And welcoming" Chuck said, picking up his glass to have another sip.

"But that doesn't change the fact that for a long time we thought that when you got married, it would be with Nate."

"Well it's not" Blair said.

Eleanor rolled her eyes at Harold, thinking her daughter was overreacting. Harold just smiled back at her and looked over at Blair, Chuck and Cat. Truthfully he wasn't too excited about the thought of his daughter marrying so young, before even graduating from college, which he had told Chuck when he called to ask his permission to propose. Chuck had taken his concerns into consideration for all of about half a second, before pointing out that being married would in no way hinder Blair's education. He had then reminded Harold that so long as she herself wanted to, Blair would end up being Mrs. Bass sooner or later, and Chuck was eager for their life together to begin for real. Harold had realized he wouldn't be able to come up with any argument Chuck couldn't shoot down, but had at least made him promise not to have any children until Blair's college degree was completed.

Looking at the two of them now, Harold was relieved to at least know that Blair was happy, and would continue to be so. Even Eleanor had to admit that Chuck was a better match for her than Nate. At least he didn't let her walk all over him, he challenged her as much as she challenged him. A statement which might not prove to be entirely true these upcoming months. Harold couldn't help but feel sorry for the man who would be subjected to Blair in her bridal craze. Especially since this seemed to be much more important to Blair than Eleanor's wedding had been to her, and Eleanor had still gone more or less insane during their engagement.

"So…" Chuck said after a few minutes of silence. "Does anybody happen to know how to get rid of this cat without hell to pay for it?"

Blair lifted a loudly protesting Cat up into her arms and successfully held her for all of five seconds before the cat hurried off to find some other place to rest. She made a face but admitted defeat and took another sip from Chuck's scotch.

They stayed there for a while, just the four of them, talking about everything and nothing. Blair wished they could stay like that forever. As much as she liked her stepfathers, she had always wished her parents could have stayed together. This was the kind of thing she had dreamt of when she was younger. A nice, calm evening with her parents and her beloved. But before long Eleanor finished her drink and rose from her seat.

"No don't go yet" Blair said. "Sit for a while."

"Honey, I've been sitting here all night" Eleanor said. "Now I'm tired and I want to go to bed. There's a day tomorrow, too."

Harold stayed a little longer, but not for too long. Soon it was just Blair and Chuck. They both looked over at the notepads and folders Roman had neatly stacked on the table before leaving the room. Then they looked up at each other. They smiled at the same time and Blair lifted her right hand to caress his cheek. Before she really knew how it had happened she was straddling him, kissing eagerly. It had been three weeks. Which was roughly two weeks and six days too long, by her preferences.

"I knew you'd come around…" he whispered hotly in her ear.

She snapped out of it and gave him a strained smile while pulling her dress strap back into its rightful place on her shoulder.

"We're in my father's house" she reminded him.

"Chateau."

"That wasn't the point."

"I know… Remember what we did in your father's house last summer? I'm thinking in particular of the night Harold and Roman were out for a wine and cheese thing and you were a very bad girl on the floor of the kitchen…"

"That is so inappropriate!" she said with false revulsion. "I cannot believe you are bringing that up. Someone could overhear you."

"Who? Cat? Come on Blair, don't play virginal with me… Your father would fall dead on the spot if he knew half the stuff we've done in this house."

"The only thing we'll be doing tonight is sleeping" Blair said with a sing-song voice.

"Then why are you still in my lap, with your hands inside my shirt?"

She got up and adjusted her clothes, then bended over to pick up the folders and notepads. She turned, gave him a look and then walked off towards their bedroom. He watched her go and smiled to himself. This was torture, but she was about to break. Just as he was about to get up Cat jumped up in his lap and curled up into a ball, purring contently.

"Blair! Come get the cat!" he said.

She didn't answer. Probably hadn't heard him. He looked down at the cat and wondered for how long he would have to sit there this time before Blair started to wonder why he wasn't coming to bed. The last time he had tried to remove Cat on his own he had been rewarded with bite marks on his arm.

"You know," he said to Cat, "you may be my future cat-in-law, but you and I have to have a serious talk about boundaries… The only one I like to have purring in my lap is Blair."

Cat made a noise as if replying, then sighed contently. With a groan he fished out his phone and texted Blair for assistance. When she appeared to move the cat for him she had changed into a negligee.

"Seriously Blair, don't do this to me" he groaned.

"What?" Blair said, lifting Cat up quickly before the animal had time to protest. "It's hot."

"I'll say."

"That's not what I meant."

She cradled Cat with one arm and reached out her other hand to Chuck. He took it and followed her towards the bedroom.

"That thing is not sleeping in our bedroom…"

"Maybe with the cat between us you'll be able to keep your paws to yourself."

"Just surrender Waldorf."

"Come now. It's only five months and a week to go."

"Oh good lord…"

She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good things come to those who wait, Bass."

Realizing he wouldn't be getting anything tonight he sighed and gave up. Besides, she did have a point. It was really hot, and the desire for physical activity was not as strong as otherwise. Still, five more months was an awful long time.

"Hey what do you think of hydrangeas?"

"Waldorf… One annoying hang-up at a time."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Have a great day. Reviews are appreciated.


	4. Prenup

This one's fairly short, and I personally found it rather dull (awesome self-marketing, huh?) but I couldn't very well write a series about engagement without touching upon this subject… Please forgive any legality errors. I know next to nothing about how these things work and I was too lazy to do any research during pre-Christmas craze.

* * *

Blair stifled a yawn and poured herself a glass of orange juice. It wasn't all that early, actually it was closer to lunch than breakfast, but she hadn't slept well. She looked at her juice and wished she hadn't turned down Chuck's offer of coffee.

She sat down next to him on the couch, offering a polite smile to the two attorneys seated on chairs across the table. This was easily her least favorite part of the wedding planning process, but she knew it needed to be done. When you were Waldorfs and Basses it needed to be done. Better to get it over with soon, although she knew there would be a lot of back-and-forth over a period of weeks or months before anything was actually signed.

"Shall we get started?" Chuck said and cast a glance at Blair. "I don't think we're after anything extraordinary here… Ms. Waldorf is an affluent young woman, but there's no disputing the fact that I am the wealthier party. In a few months, our finances will be merged. I think what we're after here is a legal agreement that in the case of a divorce we both keep what we brought into the marriage, and divide the rest evenly between us."

Both attorneys began firing questions and making comments rapidly, having obviously prepared for a big battle, while Chuck kept in a sigh and gave Blair another look. At least it was a great relief that she hadn't blown her lid when he brought up the word "prenup".

"We'll each be keeping our trust funds" Chuck answered Blair's attorney's question. "We'll start a couple of joint accounts once we get back from our honeymoon, and all subsequent income will go to those accounts. It's really basic."

"And what about other assets?" Chuck's attorney asked. "Your shares in Bass Industries? The Empire hotel?"

"Still his" Blair said.

"Actually…" Chuck said. "49% of the Empire will go to Blair on our wedding day."

Three pairs of confused eyes looked at him.

"Why?" his attorney blurted out. "And thank you for mentioning this to me sooner."

"I want to keep majority" Chuck said. "But that hotel really does belong to her as much as it does to me. I would never have bought it if it wasn't for her. I have more than one attorney, and the legalities have already been worked out."

"Then we demand an even 50/50 split" Blair's attorney piped up.

"Speak for yourself" Blair snorted. "Chuck you don't have to give me any part of the Empire. I may have supported you in buying it, but it was your money."

"You should listen to her…" his attorney, apply named Lawson, mumbled.

"Like I said, I wouldn't own it today if it wasn't for you. It's ours."

"Not to be a romance buzz kill here, but you might feel differently when she's a fat, closeted drunk who's cheated on you" Lawson said.

"I beg your pardon!" Blair and Chuck said in unison.

Blair gave her attorney, Markham, an indignant look.

"Slap him" she ordered.

Markham and Lawson continued to argue over the hotel for a few minutes while Blair turned to Chuck and lowered her voice.

"You sure you want me to have half of this place?"

"It's already yours, like I said."

"But--"

"The whole point of this is to make our lives into one. What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours. Though you can keep the headbands for yourself."

"This is the Empire we're talking about. It's always been so important to you to make it successful on your own."

"I'm not on my own anymore, am I?"

She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Markham.

"Like I said before, we demand fifty percent in the hotel."

"I don't" Blair said. "You're supposed to represent me."

"I hate writing prenups for couples who think they're actually going to be happy" Lawson sighed.

-

"Remind me never to get married again" Chuck groaned that afternoon while watching a movie with Nate.

"Uhm, okay?"

"Earlier today Blair and I spent almost two hours with our attorneys, who bickered like they were a divorcing couple over things that Blair and I didn't even care about."

"Wow. That sounds almost as boring to experience as it is to listen to" Nate said and tried to concentrate on the movie.

"The only reason we're getting the damn thing to begin with is to settle now what we might not be able to agree on if we're at war with each other in the future. I have to agree with Blair, it's backwards to plan your divorce at the same time as you're planning your wedding."

"Prenups aren't just about divorce" Nate said. "Can we talk about this later?"

"This is a DVD Nathaniel. Pause it if you can't concentrate on two things at the same time."

With an annoyed sigh Nate obediently paused the movie and gave Chuck a look that suggested it was better to talk now, and talk fast.

"Call me traditional," Chuck said, "but what's the point of getting married if you're going to draw up papers beforehand detailing how to get around the stuff that comes with the marriage? If I couldn't imagine having shared finances with Blair then I wouldn't have suggested we merge our lives together. And yes, I've taken her shopping crazes into consideration."

"People marry for all kinds of reasons" Nate argued. "And with the divorce rating being so high…"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm all for protecting your assets in case of a separation. But I don't really see what Lawson almost popping a vein trying to make sure Blair gets baccarat of Bass Industries has to do with commitment. The man's a barracuda, which is usually a good thing, but in this case it makes me fear for his health. I was almost convinced the man would stroke out when I mentioned a sunset provision."

"Set to what? The birth of your first child?"

"China anniversary."

Nate gave him a puzzled look and Chuck groaned when he realized just how much of Blair's babble actually made its way into his brain.

"That's twenty years Nathaniel. Fitting, since I'm fairly sure I lost about twenty percent of my manliness by knowing that."

Nate stifled a laugh. He was secretly enjoying watching Blair work his best friend's nerves with her wedding chatter, although once the novelty of the engagement had worn off she had toned it down considerably. Since they had gotten back from France a few days earlier she had been more like her usual self and less of a bridezilla in the making. Calm before the storm no doubt, but it was reassuring to know she still had energy to devote to other things, like being outraged over the missteps of her girl posse, the latest celebrity gossip and the fact that Nate had accidentally sat on her favorite pair of Manolos and broken off the heel.

"Now that Blair has started to return to her normal self again, how are things going?" he asked Chuck. "With everything else, I mean…"

"It could be better."

"Yeah?"

"Apparently it's quixotic to subject the man you claim to love to wanting to chew his own foot off" Chuck sighed.

"I take it that means she hasn't given up yet?"

"You come from a family of lawyers Nathaniel" Chuck said. "Do you think it's possible to include a clause in the prenup that prohibits any further attempts at sexual embargos?"

"How exactly were you planning on wording that so that it doesn't come off as forcing her to always put out?"

"That's what I pay Lawson for."

Nate chuckled and shook his head. Chuck had been convinced Blair would have caved in by now, but she was determined to make it the full six months without sleeping with him, and so far all of Chuck's attempts to break her determination had failed.

"Hey man, look at it from the bright side" Nate said. "You'll be more fit than you ever were when December comes around if you keep using exercise as a substitute for sex."

"I'm thinking about going with food instead of exercise from now on, maybe that will teach her a lesson."

"Or make it a whole lot easier for her to hold out."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"You're the one who brought it up. But okay, what else is going in the prenup?"

"As little as possible. Just whatever's necessary to make sure we each keep what we brought in to the union."

"I've got to say you've surprised me" Nate said. "I thought for sure you would be the type who'd have clauses for everything, from alimony payments to how little you could get away with allocating her in a divorce."

"That would be more traditionally Upper East Side" Chuck agreed. "It kills me to realize how similar I can be to my father. He didn't even have a prenup with my mother, and he had rather traditional views when it came to sharing between spouses. I want Blair to be my partner, for us to be a unit, and that's hard to do when focusing on keeping it clear what's hers and what is mine."

"You might be sorry later…"

"I'll take my chances."

"No wonder Lawson is frustrated."

Chuck gave him a half-hearted smile and then started the movie again. He wondered why it seemed like the prenup was bothering him more than Blair. She had told him in bed the night before that since she wasn't marrying him for his money it didn't really matter to her how much of it he wanted to keep for himself it they got divorced. So long as she could still maintain her lifestyle, which her trust fund would be helpful with anyway, the rest wasn't so important. She had pointed out that most of the things they would end up fighting over if they got divorced were things they didn't own yet, like houses or art collections or children, which therefore couldn't be written into any prenups. She had also said that when he proposed she'd known there would be a prenup and that whatever he wanted to keep for himself was something she felt was worth giving up in order to marry him.

No wonder their attorneys hated them. Now they just had to make sure Markham and Lawson would never be able to say "I told you so".

* * *

I'll try to make the next part suck less =) A big thanks to all who have reviewed so far!


	5. Dressed for Success

_Oh the weather outside is frightful_… Two and a half decimeters of snow (and counting) in one day! I love winter =D And instead of going out to get myself covered in snow I decided to stay in and get some work done. Which ended up being staying in and getting some writing done. Thus a new chapter!

Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! I'm so glad people seem to be liking this =) Hope I can keep your interest up!

* * *

"S! Finally, you're here!"

Blair gave her best friend an excited wave and Serena hurried over to her, jaw gaping. Blair was standing on a chair in the middle of the Waldorf-Rosen living room, draped in a half-finished wedding gown.

"Oh my God B, is this the dress?"

"You mean my wedding dress? No."

"Then why..?"

"I'm modeling for my mom."

Serena sat down on the sofa with a confused face. Eleanor was nowhere to be seen, but there were two seamstresses putting pins in the dress and one unidentifiable man walking around going "hmmm".

"I'm… not sure I follow" she admitted.

"She asked me to model the wedding gown in her runway show on fashion week! Isn't this exciting? My mom hasn't even _had_ wedding gowns in her collections before."

"Wow B…"

Blair beamed at Serena and did a semi-twirl on the chair, to the great annoyance of the seamstresses, and causing the unidentified man to hark. It had surprised both her and Chuck when their betrothal had turned into page six news, and a surprising amount of buzz had been created around it. It seemed that being the young heir of Bart Bass made Chuck newsworthy, especially when getting engaged to the daughter of Eleanor Waldorf. Blair loved the attention while Chuck mostly tried to ignore it, unless it could be good for business. Eleanor had been quick to notice the interest and before Blair had left France her mother had asked her to model the wedding dress to gain publicity for the new line.

"It's quite lovely, isn't it?" Blair asked Serena and made a sweeping gesture at the fabric.

"I... am sure it will be" Serena said in an attempt to be polite. "Right now it's a bit hard to see the finished product."

The unidentified man clicked his tongue disapprovingly and Blair stifled a giggle.

"I'm so glad you're back in New York, S" Blair said. "So little time, so much that needs to be done. But first things first. I want to hear all about your new guy."

"I've told you all about him already over the phone" Serena smiled and grabbed a sandwich from a trey on the table.

"Well tell me more. If he's going to be a guest at our wedding I want to know a lot more about him!"

Serena smiled and shook her head and Blair's ability to find something related to her even in the news of Serena's love life.

"Come on S, let's hear it. Don't mind these people, they only care about fabrics and pins and avoiding my mother's wrath, and couldn't care less about, well, the real world."

Obediently Serena began to talk about the guy she had met in April, been on two dates with in May and spent the summer in Thailand with. Thomas Milton was from a rich family, held a master degree in engineering, and Serena had met him at a social event hosted by her mother. Encouraged on by Blair she went into detail about their summer together and Blair patiently listened and came with comments and questions for a solid half hour, while Eleanor's minions finished their needling.

"So what are you guys now?" she then asked. "Is he officially your boyfriend?"

"Do you mean should you send him an official invite to the big day?" Serena asked with a smile.

"Actually I had something else in mind, but we'll get to that in a few weeks. Honestly Serena, not everything is about the wedding with me these days. I can devote at least an hour of my day to other topics."

"Well that's very generous of you" Serena smiled. "Though not entirely convincing when you're saying it wearing half a wedding dress."

"So what are you two? Am I talking to the future Mrs. Milton?"

"Yeah, weddings aren't on your mind twenty-four seven" Serena said with rolling eyes. "I've only dated the guy for two and a half months and you can hear wedding bells."

"You're being evasive."

"Okay, fine. He's my boyfriend. I think."

"Excellent! We want to meet him. Dinner on Friday?"

"Sure…"

"Great. It's settled. Now, I need your help."

"Okay."

"Wedding dress. The real wedding dress. My mother's going to design something for me of course, but we haven't really talked about what yet. I need your help trying to figure out what kind of dress I want. Nothing poofy or, you know, tutu-ish. I want something classy, that won't make Chuck laugh when he sees me wearing it."

"I don't think he would laugh at you."

"There's apparently something about really big wedding dresses that he finds irresistibly comical."

Another disapproving noise came from the unidentified man but Blair paid no attention to him. She gave the two seamstresses a look, noticing that they had stopped working on the dress. Then she clapped her hands sharply twice.

"What are you two doing just standing there?" she said. "If you're finished then go get my mother. Shoo! Off you go!"

The two of them hurried off but the man stayed put, apparently devoted to guarding the fabric with his life. Blair placed her hands on her waist and gave him a stern look.

"And you. Vamoose!"

With an offended huff he was off. Serena gave Blair a highly entertained look, and Blair made a gesture to the dress-to-be surrounding her.

"I wish I could sit down, but if I do I'll probably end up a pincushion. But seriously now. Wedding dress!"

"You haven't thought about what you want?" Serena asked, beginning to flip through a bridal magazine she found on the table.

"Of course I have! The only problem is I can't seem to decide. Although, there isn't as much to choose from as I first thought. Did you know catholic churches have _dress codes_? I'm not supposed to show cleavage or shoulders! How am I supposed to look fashionably gorgeous if I'm dressed like one of the Amish?"

"I love it when you're being politically correct. I suppose that means big poofy sleeves are on the table?"

"Of course not. I want to look classically beautiful, but not like European royalty. Which rules out a ten foot train."

"Thank heavens. You know, you could have the dress designed however you want and just add a bolero or a jacket during the ceremony."

"Well done Serena" Blair said and clapped her hands with excited approval. "I hadn't thought of that. I knew there was wisdom in the blonde head of yours."

"B you really need to work on how to not make your compliments sound like insults."

"Should I have straps?" Blair asked. "I can't quite decide. I'm not all that fond of strapless to tell the truth."

"How about a halter neck?"

"Nah. I don't think I want to start off my marriage by pissing off my groom with fabric covering my neck."

The discussion continued for a few minutes, until Eleanor came in to the room with her minions following her like well-trained dogs.

"Now let's take a look…" Eleanor said. "Stand up straight, Blair."

"Can you hmm and ponder and brood quickly, Mother?" Blair asked. "I've been standing on this chair for over an hour and I'm getting pretty tired."

"Fashion takes time" Eleanor replied and began hmm-ing and pondering and brooding, the man hmm-ing along with her.

Blair was clearly getting a bit bored but was kind enough to stand still while her mother worked on her latest masterpiece. Serena kept flipping through the magazine she had found but kept silent so that she wouldn't disturb Eleanor. She caught the bored look on Blair's face and wondered how long it would take during the fitting of her actual wedding dress before she got that face.

-

Forty minutes later Blair was out of the dress and wrapped in her robe, lying on her bed with Serena next to her. They each had a bridal magazine and Blair had brought a notebook to make comments, notes and do a little doodling.

"I had no idea this would be so hard!" she complained. "I'm not designing it, just giving my mother pointers on what I want and what I really don't want, and still it's a lot more difficult than I would have imagined. It was so much easier when wedding dresses just came with the Barbie doll and you didn't have to pay more attention to it than that."

"I'm glad you don't want a train" Serena said. "The last thing we need is to be stepping all over your dress when we're exiting the church."

"Technically it's a cathedral. And I never said I didn't want a train. I just don't want a ten foot long train."

"Blair, trains are usually a lot more work than they are adorning. You will get dirt and snow all over it the second you step outside--"

"You're just saying that because you know you'll have to hold it up for me and you want to dodge the bullet."

"People will be stepping over it whenever you try to move around at the reception, and you yourself will step on it when you dance."

"The dancing is the whole reason I _want_ a train" Blair pouted. "I want to be able to hold my dress up with one hand, like Cinderella."

Serena rolled her eyes and sighed. Hopefully Eleanor would be able to talk her daughter out of this idea. The last time Serena had been to a wedding where the bride had had a train, the newlywed woman had ended up stepping on it, tripping and falling into the cake. Wedding cake did not go well with white satin, Serena had learned that night.

She cast a sideways glance at her best friend, who was studying a dress from Dior with merciless eyes. So far they had only talked bridal gowns and not bridesmaids' dresses, a topic Serena didn't know if she should dread or look forward to. Blair hadn't breathed a syllable yet about bridesmaids or maid of honor. Serena hoped this was because Blair thought it was so obvious that Serena would be her maid of honor that she thought it was superfluous to even ask, but she would still like to know for sure.

"So can a humble girl ask what you have in mind for the bridesmaids?" she asked, trying to breach the subject somewhat discreetly. "Dare we hope for no poof?"

"I don't know" Blair said. "Haven't decided on that yet." Then she sighed and changed the subject. "Serena you would never guess how must stuff comes with getting married! And I'm not just talking the actual wedding. I'm talking about the legalities and all that. Get this, I have to go and get a new picture taken for my passport. I love the picture I have now! What if I look hideous on my new one?"

"Why do you have to get a new one?"

"Because they apparently won't use my current one. Same thing goes for my ID. Can't they just, you know, use whiteout to cover Waldorf and jot down Bass instead?"

Serena giggled at the thought of Blair using a passport or an ID which had been given that treatment.

"You really sure you want to take his name?" she then asked.

"It's not exactly the kind of name I dreamed of having…" Blair admitted. "It's short and sounds kind of pedestrian. My first name sounds better with more than one syllable in the surname, and preferrably a 'von' stuck in there."

"So keep Waldorf. Or go with Waldorf-Bass."

"Hyphens are lame."

"Waldorf then."

"S I want to have the same name as my husband."

"I'm just saying, a lot of women keep their last names when they get married. Some couples even go with the wife's surname."

"Yeah right" Blair snorted. "Chuck Waldorf? I don't see that happening. Honestly I don't really mind Bass all that much. I did when we were younger, but I think that was mainly because I associated the name with a creep."

"A creep you are now marrying."

"Not exactly the fairytale I imagined in junior high" Blair said with a laugh. "But he's not so creepy. Once you get used to him."

"Oh I beg to differ."

"Plus the name Bass does have some cachet."

"And no doubt you've been jotting down 'Blair Bass' in your notebooks for the past couple of years."

"Please" Blair scoffed, sounding offended even though it was true.

"Nice initials you'll be getting. Maybe we should start calling you Bebe."

Blair laughed and tossed her magazine to the floor. She rolled over on her back and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest.

"Married…" she said with a dreamy voice. "I still can't believe it."

"Neither can I, but for entirely different reasons" Serena said dryly and continued to flip through her magazine. "What good can come out of marrying Chuck?"

"Well for one thing you and I will be sisters. Legal sisters."

"Now that's true."

"Maybe you can keep that in mind the next time you whine about having to carry the train of my dress. If being maid of honor isn't a good enough reason for you to do it, then being my new sister ought to be."

"Aw, B, you want me to be your maid of honor?" Serena squeed.

Blair gave her a confounded look.

"Of course you twit. Who else would I ask? Dan Humphrey?"

Then she sat up in bed and reached for another magazine, throwing it at Serena. She picked up one for herself and leaned back against the headboard.

"Enough nonsense! Maid of honor, I hereby command you to help me figure out what I want for my wedding dress."

"As you wish, slave driver."

"How expensive do you think it would be to have pearls and/or diamonds sewn into the thing? I mean, like, hundreds of them?"

"I think that if you aim for the stars you might end up reaching to the second floor."

Blair gave her a light kick.

"Enough of this negativity! Now get to work, we have two more magazines to go. This dress needs to be perfect. If pearls or diamonds are too expensive then how about sugilites?"

* * *

I'm hoping to update at least once more before Christmas. We'll see how that goes, but until then, thanks for reading and have a great day! And if you have as much snow as we do, take a break from reading and go out and enjoy it =)


	6. Lord of the Rings

Hi again! Hope everyone has had a great holiday season so far =) I know I have. And talk about a white Christmas. We've been getting a foot of snow each day for a week now, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon… Which means a perfect excuse to spend some time indoors in front of the computer =)

As always, thank you all you nice people who review. You truly make my day =)

* * *

"I think our wedding planner might be an idiot" Blair told Chuck as they walked down fifth avenue.

"Really?"

He smiled slightly and squeezed her right hand with his left. After three months it was still weird to walk on her right side, rather than her left as he was used to. She still insisted on keeping her left hand free and the ring in full view, and had also added that traditionally the left side was the bride's side and the right side was the groom's. He knew when he stood a chance at winning a debate with her, and this was not one of those occasions, so he reluctantly walked on her right side for the duration of the engagement.

"They guy has zero taste!" Blair complained, almost growling at the thought of her hired help. "Last night he called me to tell me he thought we should have carnations for the centerpieces. _Carnations_! Can you believe that?"

"So fire him" Chuck said. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is it's August already. Where are we going to find a wedding planner who can take over and do a proper job in only four months?"

"Hate to say this, but that's why people usually take close to a year to plan their wedding" Chuck said.

"Oh shush."

"If you're not happy with the guy then give him the boot. Or let me do it, if you think it's bad bridal karma for you to do it. Find someone you're happy with. Someone who understands that unless it's roses, lilies or peonies, it's not going to be included in the floral arrangements."

"I am not that narrow-minded" Blair objected. "There are dozens of other flowers I would be fine with. But carnations? Besides, it's not just about that. The guy thought it would be fun to have a Christmas theme for the menu."

"Suggesting a Christmas theme for a December 22nd wedding? Where do we find these people?"

"Ha ha. Just because that's our date it doesn't mean I want turkey and ham served. And if I see a mistletoe he might suffer the fate of Balder."

"What's wrong with a mistletoe?" Chuck had to ask. "We could spend the entire night underneath it."

"I am not spending my wedding dinner making out with you under a mistletoe" Blair said, as if the very suggestion was demeaning. "I plan on enjoying being in the spotlight that night, not snuck away in a corner. Besides, it's the last wedding we'll ever go to where we get to sit together, so let's enjoy _that_."

"I thought that tradition was dead by now" Chuck said.

"Well it isn't. Couples don't sit together at weddings unless they are the bride and groom, newly engaged or have just started dating."

"That's not _law_ Blair" Chuck objected.

"It is if you have any class. What does this even have to do with our crappy wedding planner? Though, he doesn't seem to have any class, so I guess this is relevant. Did I tell you he suggested we move the wedding up till summer, since then we wouldn't need an indoor location for the reception, only a garden and the good people at Rent-a-Tent?"

"I'm amazed that this guy made it through your careful screening process. I thought you had a written exam?"

"He must have cheated."

Chuck smiled slightly and looked up at the store ahead of them.

"Cartier" he said. "Ready to go pick out wedding rings?"

"Ready if you are" she smiled.

He held open the door for her and she stepped inside. She was quickly distracted by a set of necklaces, let go of his hand and wandered over to take a closer look with assorted approving noises.

"Blair… That's not why we're here."

"But just look at these…" she said. "They're perfect! I'm almost ready to relent on the sex thing in exchange for one of these."

"Which one do you want?" he asked, walking over.

"I said almost" she said, giving him a teasing smile that showed she hadn't been serious.

He frowned. He didn't find this half as funny as she did. In fact, he found it very annoying, and they had already had a couple of fights about it. But before they could have another one a store clerk with a smarmy smile appeared on the scene.

"May I help you?" he said. "That platinum necklace would look darling on the lady."

"We're not in the market for necklaces" Chuck said and gave Blair a glare. "We're here to pick out wedding rings."

"Ah, splendid!" the clerk said and more or less dove over Blair's left finger to inspect the engagement ring. "Absolutely stunning!" he fawned.

Chuck rolled his eyes. His mother's engagement ring was pretty, but in all honesty not nearly as exclusive as what you would expect to see on the finger of a woman engaged to a billionaire. His father had been well-off but certainly not rich when he had bought the ring. Blair loved it regardless, but it was obvious that the clerk recognized the ring was old, and was more in awe of their presumed bank accounts than of the actual engagement ring.

"Truly miss, it is divine" the clerk cooed.

"I know" Blair beamed, oblivious to the brown-nosing.

"And now you are looking for the perfect wedding ring to go with this" the clerk said and looked up at Chuck. "What price range are we talking about?"

"Price is not an issue" Chuck said. "Nor is it a priority. If you have twenty-four carat rings then by all means… but we're more interested in the design of the things."

"When you say price is not an issue, you mean..?" the clerk fished.

"I mean we want rings that feel right for us. Lord knows we're going to be wearing them for a long time. With that in mind we will spare no expense, but pricier isn't necessarily better."

"Are we talking plain gold rings for both, or will the wife be wanting some gems in hers?" the clerk asked.

Blair and Chuck shared a strained look. They had argued over this subject time and time again. Chuck wanted them to have matching rings, plain golden bands that would look good in their simplicity, would never go out of style and would go with whatever they were wearing. Blair wanted diamonds in her ring, preferably a band of small diamonds running in a line in the middle of the ring. She had even drawn him a picture to show what she meant when he told her he couldn't see it, ignoring the fact that what he was saying was that it didn't match his idea of what her ring would look like. The fourth time they had the same discussion he had told her flat out that he thought her idea for the ring would look tacky, and that less was more. She had accused him of being cheap, which had caused him to roll his eyes, and then she had said that he was far too boring and traditionalist. In the end nothing had been decided, and they were still not in agreement.

"We haven't quite decided yet" Blair told the clerk with her sweetest fake smile.

"Maybe we should start with the gentleman then?" the clerk said and scurried off to get his samples.

"Plain" Chuck said in Blair's ear.

"Diamonds" she shot back.

"Technically the choice is up to me" he argued. "I will be paying for it."

"But I will be wearing it. And if that's how we're playing it then may I remind you that I am paying for yours? Maybe I should have them stick a big, fat ruby on it."

"If that's what you want to see on my finger till your dying day…"

"Do _you_ really want to see a plain, boring golden band around mine? Don't I deserve something more splendid than that?"

"There's beauty in simplicity."

"Ha!" she scoffed. "Where did you get that? A fortune cookie?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you know I never eat Chinese."

"Men should not have gemstones in their wedding rings, but for women it's different" Blair argued, for the umpteenth time. "Sure if you're lower class you may not be able to afford diamonds in the ring. But we can and we ought to get it."

"You have a diamond in your engagement ring. I can buy you a diamond ring for any other finger if you'd like, but wedding rings look better without gems. And isn't the whole point that we wear matching rings to symbolize that we belong together?"

"Did you get a college degree in trite?" Blair asked. "My ring will be matching yours, only it will have diamonds in it. That's what makes it the female ring."

"The size makes it the female ring."

"Can we at least look at their selection?"

"Sure. We can also go to Kennedy Space Center and look at the Atlantis space shuttle, but we won't be getting that either."

She growled at him but before she could think of a response the clerk returned and she put her smile back on her face.

"Now," the clerk said, clapping his hands together, "will you be wanting rings that go with the engagement ring?"

Blair looked down at the ring on her left finger and frowned. She hadn't thought of that. Her engagement ring was beautiful, but it was in silver, and the band had a more squared shape than she wanted for her wedding ring. She looked up at Chuck, silently asking his opinion.

"We don't want silver or white gold" he said. "They should be, well, golden. As for the cut of the ring… I think we were both thinking something more rounded."

"Then may I suggest reshaping the engagement ring" the clerk said.

Chuck gave him a suspicious look. In all likelihood this man was just interested in bringing in the money. Reshaping the engagement ring would probably cost quite a bit, and he wasn't sure he wanted to change anything with his mother's ring.

"We could do that" Blair said thoughtfully. "What do you say Chuck?"

"Do you _want_ to?" he asked. "Or do you prefer it like it was when I put it on your finger?"

She bit her lower lip and twirled the ring on her finger, studying it. To her it didn't really matter if the band was made more rounded, it was still the same ring. And it would be nice to have it go better with what they both had in mind for the wedding bands.

"It might be a good idea" she said.

"Okay then."

The clerk looked about ready to start jumping up and down with excitement. Chuck gave him a glare and wished he would tone it down. Blair eyed him carefully. The way he had phrased the question had sound quite leading.

"And you are okay with reshaping it?" she asked him. "It's still the same ring, you know… But if you don't want to change it… It is your mother's ring, I would get cranky but I would understand."

"It's not my mother's ring anymore" he said. "It's yours. If you want it changed then we will have it changed."

She smiled slightly and kissed his cheek. She could tell he didn't quite believe his own words, but now he had given his approval so that was that.

"Okay then" the clerk said and showcased a selection of wedding rings.

Deciding on a ring for Chuck turned out to be fairly easy. He was quite adamant about what he wanted, and Blair liked pretty much every ring she was shown, so she had no objections to the one he ended up deciding on. The problems came when it was time to pick out one for her. The clerk helpfully showed them the ring matching the one Chuck had chosen, and Blair picked it up to study it more carefully.

"It's quite thin…" she said.

"It's supposed to be" the clerk told her.

"How are you supposed to fit a line of diamonds into it?"

"You're not" Chuck said. "Face it Blair. Gemstones are for engagement rings, not wedding bands."

"I beg to differ" the clerk piped up.

"Too bad you don't get a vote. Isn't diamonds in the engagement ring enough? Won't gems in the wedding band take focus off the engagement ring?"

"The engagement ring doesn't need much focus after the wedding" Blair objected. "It's still beautiful and precious and all that, but the wedding ring comes first and the engagement ring is second banana."

"If you have diamonds or sapphires or whatever it is you might get into your head that you want, then nobody will know which ring is the wedding ring and which ring is the engagement ring" Chuck tried to argue.

"One is in silver and the other is in gold. Any person who's not an idiot will know which one's which."

"Then don't show it to our wedding planner."

"I think your bride would look marvelous with a few diamonds on her ring" the clerk smarmed, winning Blair's approval more and more by the second.

"Of course she would" Chuck said. "She would look marvelous with a ring made out of twigs. I don't like decked out wedding rings, and I don't want my wife to wear one."

"You were a lot more fun back when I used to think you were insane" Blair complained and grabbed a brochure the clerk handed to her. "Just look in this for a moment, okay Chuck? Don't these look darling to you?"

"So now you want a stone on top of the ring, and not woven into the actual band? Basically another engagement ring, only in gold?"

"I know what you're thinking" Blair said to the clerk. "The answer is yes. He's always this stubbornly impossible."

"Maybe we should call our attorneys and have them work this out for us" Chuck sighed, not sure whether he was joking or not.

"I want diamonds Chuck" Blair said with emphasis.

"I want your ring to look just like mine Blair. They're supposed to be a _set_."

"I don't have time for this" Blair sighed, realizing they weren't going to get anywhere with this right now, and put the brochure in her purse. "I have a hair appointment in thirty minutes. Why don't we just get the ring we chose for you, and the matching ring for me, and we can argue more later about whether or not to add gems to it?"

"Fine" Chuck sighed.

"Alright then" the clerk said, grabbing Blair's finger to get her ring size. "Now about the engravings…"

"Engravings?" Chuck echoed. "Names and dates sound fine to me."

"What?" Blair said. "No! Come on Chuck, can't we at least do something a bit more intimate? I already know what I want to engrave yours with."

"How about I trade you personalized engravings for a plain wedding band?"

She sighed heavily and weighed her options against each other. On one hand she did really want diamonds in her ring, but on the other she wanted something special engraved inside the rings. Something that would be like a secret message between the two of them. She realized she wanted that more and was about to tell him she was caving when she caught the glint in his eyes. She wrinkled her nose at him and huffed.

"I am not falling for that Bass" she said. "When I mentioned engravings when we were in France you said it was a great idea to personalize them."

"That was me nodding along to whatever you were saying. I wasn't actually listening."

"Yes you were. Don't think I can't tell when you pay attention or not." She turned to the clerk. "We will be getting customized engravings, and we'll get back to you on the diamond issue. Chuck, let's get this over with so I won't be late."

Chuck gave her half a smile and followed the clerk over to the register to argue about price and other details. Blair went over to admire their selection of earrings, listening with only half an ear to the voices talking about when they needed to make up their minds about the ring, and what the engravings would be.

"Blair!"

Chuck calling her name brought her attention back.

"What?"

"Your engagement ring. They need it if they're going to be able to reshape it."

Blair looked down at the ring and twirled it hesitantly. She wore it all the time, except when she slept or when she was in the shower, during which time she kept it safely in the ring box. The thought of having it off her finger for days, perhaps weeks even, was not too appealing.

"Can we maybe do it after the wedding?" she said meekly. "Give the wedding ring a chance at some one-on-one time with my finger?"

Chuck gave her a smile which made her instinctively smile back in response.

"Well in that case I believe we are done here for today. Are you coming, Waldorf?"

He held out his right hand to her and she took it automatically. He gave her an even wider smile and squeezed her hand, which reminded her that he was holding the hand she had the ring on. She opened her mouth to protest but he just shook his head and led her out of the store.

* * *

Ta for now!


	7. Cake Eaters

First of all, happy new year!

Second, this chapter was written pretty much on the fly, so it might not be the most smoothly running part of the series… Haven't really had the chance to proof read it either but I hope it makes sense.

Third, as always I want to thank those of you who review. It really means a lot =)

Fourth, about "Redux", I've got the next chapter about 2/3 finished but I've gotten pretty stuck… so for now I'm letting it lie, hoping to be able to move forward with it the next time I take a look at it. Can't give an ETA on it though.

Hope you'll have an enjoyable read!

* * *

"You are so paying for my liposuction after this" Serena said and tasted another slice of cake. "Mm, this one is even better than the last one!"

They were curled up in Serena's bedroom with twenty samples of wedding cake in front of them. They were dressed in lingerie and silk bathrobes, watching "_Breakfast at Tiffany's_", just like old times. If old times had included lots of cake.

"Thank God I remembered to call my mother and cancel the dress fitting" Blair sighed. "If I get it tailored after this, I would end up with a dress that's three sizes too big."

"Well at least then poofy would have been a perk."

Blair made a face at her and playfully tossed the last piece of cake on her plate at Serena, who squealed and complained about getting cream on her bathrobe.

"I'm sorry" Serena then said. "But it's a no go on the chocolate cakes. The one with strawberries was awful, the one with banana was so last year and pistachios? Who thought that up?"

"My ex-wedding planner" Blair said.

"You've replaced Rupert?"

"Yes. With Camille. Whose first job will be to bring me the menu suggestions from the caterer. I told her to make a rough selection, but Chuck already went through all of them and picked a few candidates. If Camille goes for the same thing Chuck did then we know she's a keeper. If she lets something through which he graded with an F, then off she goes."

"Leave it to you two to turn wedding planner selection into a science."

"Basses don't do anything half-heartedly."

"Except you're still a Waldorf. And I will never get used to thinking of you as a Bass."

"Okay, so all three chocolate cakes are out" Blair said and crossed them off her list. "Fifteen cakes still on the table. Or did we dislike the pink one? Number four?"

"Too Barbie. Even if you do get it in white."

"Right" Blair said and crossed another one off her list.

"But this one with the raspberries…" Serena said, motioning towards the cake she was currently trying. "I think it is my favorite one yet."

Blair looked skeptical, having thought the last one she tasted, number eight, had been the best of the bunch so far. She moved a piece of number nine onto her plate and reached for her glass of ice water.

"After number ten I think I'll need a break" she announced and tasted cake number nine. "Mm, you're right. This one is delightful."

"Right?"

"Mm, okay. Okay, this one gets a star."

Serena giggled at Blair's meticulous scoring charts for each of the samples. Each cake was being judged on five different criteria, out of which Serena only thought look and taste were actually relevant, and ranks were handed out ranging from F up to A, with the possibility of a star for something that was really good.

"Honestly I think we can call off the search" Serena said. "Because this one is really great. I don't know if any of the others will be able to top this."

"That's what I thought about number eight. And number seventeen has blackberries, Chuck's favorite."

"How sweet of you to take his tastes into consideration."

Blair made another face at her and took a few deep sips of water. This much cake would make anyone thirsty.

"We should have had some wine instead" she noted. "Criteria number four is actually how well they go with the wine, but since we haven't selected the menu yet we haven't decided on the wine list yet, so the five top candidates will have to go another trial run."

"You should spend your life conducting actual scientific research" Serena said. "You've got a natural talent for obsessing anally about things."

"Hey I do not obsess! I just… like to put time and effort into whatever project I devote myself to."

"Right…"

Blair frowned at her and grabbed a small piece of cake number ten. She tasted it and made a face.

"Yuck! Gingerbread! Seriously, that wedding planner was out of his mind!"

"Well it could be cute with gingerbread cake at a Christmas wedding…" Serena said.

"It is _not_ a Christmas wedding! Just because it's only a few days before Christmas that doesn't mean I want candy canes and jingle bells."

"Aw, I was hoping for a candy cane inspired bridesmaid's dress" Serena teased.

"Oh delightful!" Blair snarled. "Maybe we can get the priest to dress up as Santa Clause, wouldn't that be special?"

"Relax B. If you hate the idea of a Christmas themed wedding so much then why are you getting married in late December?"

"Because that was the only date available at St. Patrick's. Beggars can't be choosers. I'd rather marry Chuck this year during Santa Week than three years from now on a date we've chosen completely on our own."

"Well what's so wrong with adding a bit of Christmas to the thing? You love Christmas, you love Chuck, why not combine the two?"

"I am not competing with Jesus and his birthday on my wedding day!" Blair said. "That day is all about me and the guy I'm marrying. Not stables all for lorn, halls decked with bounds of holly or Mary who may or may not have known that her baby boy would someday walk on water. Besides, Chuck doesn't like Christmas."

"Yeah, but--"

"Now let's try cake number eleven!" Blair cut her off and put a piece on Serena's plate. "More judging of the cakes, less judging of my reasons."

Serena obediently took a bite, even though she was getting a bit tired of cake for the moment. She nodded slowly and licked some whipped cream off her upper lip.

"I like it."

"Better than number nine?" Blair asked, getting a piece for herself.

"Number nine still takes the cake… pun of course intended… But this one isn't all that bad either."

"Yes it is" Blair said, making a face as she tasted it. "Lemon? No thank you. When life hands you lemons you do not use them to make wedding cake."

"Widen your horizons, B" Serena laughed.

"My horizons are exactly as wide as they should be. I'm giving it a C-."

Serena shrugged and finished the piece on her plate. She thought the taste was refreshing, but it was clear that Blair had deported lemon cake into no-go territory. She watched Blair toss the notepad aside and flop back on the bed with a groan.

"How much cake can one girl eat in just one morning?" she asked.

"Twenty samples, it seems."

"Whoever said food is a good substitute when you need to vent your frustrations obviously never planned a wedding."

Serena put their plates aside on the table they had pulled up beside the bed, put the DVD on pause and then laid down next to Blair.

"So what is Tommy M doing this weekend?" Blair asked.

"Tommy M?" Serena echoed.

"Ignore that, I'm on a sugar rush."

"_Tom_ and I are going to see a Broadway show on Saturday" Serena told her. "I don't know which one yet. He wants to surprise me."

"Cute."

"Chuck didn't seem too impressed with Tom when he met him."

"Chuck doesn't like engineers" Blair told her. "I can never remember why… but he has this weird dislike for them."

Serena sighed and shook her head. The oddities of her stepbrother never ceased to amaze her. But so long as Blair liked Tom Chuck would have to accept him. They kept quiet for a while, staring at the ceiling, both feeling slightly nauseous after having eaten so much cake.

"My, my…" Chuck said, walking into the room.

"What?" Serena said, looking up. "Chuck how did you get in here?"

"I wish I could say I used my superhuman skills and crawled up the wall like Spiderman, but unfortunately I had to resort to old-fashioned methods like going through the front door."

He took a look at the scene in front of him with a sly smile on his face. The many samples of cake, Blair's charts, the paused movie and above all the two women on the bed, dressed in lingerie, made for a very pleasing scene.

"Aren't you two a sight…" he said. "I wish I had my camera. Looks like you two are having quite the party. Mind if I join you?"

"Chuck" Serena moaned, grossed out by the unspoken insinuation.

"Go ahead" Blair smiled. "With you on sex prohibition I think it's for once safe for us to let you crawl up on the bed with us when we're dressed like this."

"Your logic is faulty" Serena said. "Tempt a starving beast with filet mignon?"

"Glad to hear your self-esteem is top notch, sis" Chuck said.

"Why don't you just tell us why you're here, and then kindly make like a banana and split" Serena suggested.

"Cute" Chuck said in a bored tone. "I take it you're learning your new and exciting phrases from the engineer? I'm here for my fiancée."

"Aw" Blair said.

"Yes, and sadly I have to ask you to put some clothes on. Your attorney called my attorney and wants another meeting about… something in the prenups."

"So?" Blair said. "How is that my problem? We're a team. Go represent us both and I will stay here."

"Blair you know that's not exactly how it works. Not with the prenups."

"And _you_ know that in reality, that _is_ exactly how it works. Last time it felt kind of like it was you and me against Markham and Lawson."

"Come on, get up. I want to get this done, and you need to get off your ass and stop eating cake."

"What exactly do they want to meet you for?" Serena asked. "It's Sunday!"

"That doesn't seem to matter to them" Chuck said. "We're big clients, so they don't seem to mind working weekends. Plus they're both so unholy I doubt the ordained day of rest means a lot to them. And I didn't ask what they wanted to meet for."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't really matter. Whatever the issue is I figure it's better to just discuss it and get it over with."

"So you're saying I should abandon the cake tryouts, ditch my best friend and leave in the middle of my favorite movie for… a meeting with our cutthroat lawyers about an unknown issue?" Blair said.

"Blair you know these vultures as well as I do" Chuck said. "They will keep bugging us until we agree to meet them, so why not just get it over with?"

"Not unless they have a really good reason."

"Like I said, I don't know what the specific thing they needed to discuss was."

"Well be a darling, darling, and find out" Blair said. "Shoo! We're busy watching Audrey and conducting important wedding research. I can't leave here unless I have a really good reason to. We're only halfway done."

"The film is on pause" Chuck argued. "And the cake can be put in the fridge for a while. From the looks of it, you could use a cake break."

Blair gasped.

"If I were you I would be very careful what I insinuated!"

"Why?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not like you can withhold sex on account of bad behavior when you're already withholding it on account of _good_ behavior."

"No, but I can agree fully with whatever Markham thinks we should do, even if it is the complete opposite of what we've said in the past. Feel like forking over your trust fund to me, Bass?"

Chuck growled at her but gave in and stepped out of the room to call his attorney. Blair looked at Serena with tired eyes.

"Prenups" she sighed. "They suck. Lawyers? Also tend to suck. Combine the two? Suck City."

Serena got herself a piece of cake number twelve and nodded slightly.

"This one is okay" she said.

Blair sighed and moved a piece over to her plate. She stared at it for a moment, wondering if she would be able to stomach anymore cake right now, and with another heavy sigh lifted her fork to taste some. Before she could get that far, Chuck came back into the room.

"Can't seem to get a hold of anyone right now" he said.

"Come here Chuck" Blair said and held out the fork with cake. "Be productive while you're waiting to be productive. Try some of number twelve. Tell me what you think."

"No thank you" he said, taking a frowning look at the girls. "Some of us actually care about our figures."

"So when you're not getting laid you feel like you have nothing left to lose?" Serena asked. "Because I'm warning you Chuck, there is damage I can do that Blair would never think of. I have a lifetime of experience as a sister. You should fear me."

"Look, Blair, let's just go meet them already and get this straightened out" Chuck said for the umpteenth time, ignoring Serena.

"Nuh-uh" Blair said, putting the cake in her mouth. "I am not leaving here to go do that. I have my priorities in order."

"Stuffing your face with cake versus working out the prenuptials?"

"No, you're interrupting '_Breakfast at Tiffany's_'. I prefer that to our attorneys."

"Unless the DVD knew I was coming and paused itself, I'd say that all I'm interrupting is you using cake as a substitute for my--"

"I beg you not to finish that sentence!" Serena cried and put her hands over her ears.

"Cake number twelve is okay" Blair said, mostly to herself, and jotted something down on her chart. "Chuck those two clowns work for us. Let them argue amongst themselves today, and we'll meet with them tomorrow and tell them we have no interest in making any of the changes they have worked out. Maybe that will teach them to only be efficient within the limits we've set up for them."

"Or we can get this out of the way as quickly and efficiently as possible."

"Honestly…" Blair sighed, putting her plate away. "I'm too full to be able to move. And I don't want anyone to see me all cake-bloated. Lawson's going to think you're marrying a cow."

"Fine" Chuck sighed, and despite his previous comment grabbed one of the cake samples. "You win. We'll take care of it on Monday. Seriously though, what is with all this cake? We only need one for the wedding."

"I like a large selection" Blair said.

He shrugged, stole her fork and took a bite from the sample he had taken. He frowned.

"Chocolate and pistachios? Whose insane idea was that?"

"Don't worry" Serena said with a tired look. "Your obsessive wife-to-be already crossed it off the list."

"Good work. As you were. Oh, and Serena, please return her to me in at least _roughly_ the same condition as she arrived. If the two of you continue to stuff your faces with cake I am a little worried that I'm going to be spending the evening nursing a cream and strawberry hangover."

"Hey!" Blair said as he left the room. "Give me back my fork!"

* * *

Thanks for reading. Have a great day =)


	8. Guest List

Yeesh, the weather really isn't getting any better... This story on the other hand is getting longer and longer. I originally thought I might manage like five or six chapters or so, but by now I've got like twenty or so chapters completed or half-written. A lot of it because of the encouragement I've been getting from your reviews, so big thanks!

* * *

"I still don't see why we have to invite the lower-class filth" Chuck said, relaxing in a bubble bath. "Brooklyn and St. Patrick's? I don't see it."

"Well I don't like it any more than you do" Blair said, sitting on a stool by the tub with a notepad in hand. "But Serena really wants us to, and they are your legal stepfamily."

"They are my stepmother's sober equivalent of a horrible drunken mistake" Chuck objected.

"Adoptive mother" Blair reminded him. "That makes you legally bound to those clowns. And sadly, soon I will be too. I always knew whoever got hitched with you would be marrying trouble; I just never knew the trouble would be the likes of the Humphreys. Still, it would be rude not to invite them."

"Since when do we care about what's rude or not?"

"Since we've become page six material" Blair said. "Now we have a reputation to withhold, and charity towards Brooklyn's not-finest looks a lot better than not inviting unfortunate family members. We'll stick them far in the back, and at a table in a corner so that we won't have to look at them and risk losing our appetite."

"Fine. But just Rufus and his gruesome twosome. No hippies welcome. I have no ties to Vanessa, legal or otherwise, and no, Humphrey can't bring her as a date."

"He won't. He's dating that redhead, remember?" Blair said.

"No. How come you keep track?"

"Serena thinks she's annoying. Therefore I think she's annoying."

"Ah."

She turned the page in her notebook and tucked a strain of hair behind her ear. It immediately fell back in front of her face so Chuck reached out a wet hand and tucked it away again.

"Chuck! You're getting water in my face. Don't get the notepad wet!"

He teasingly ran his thumb down her cheek and cupped her chin for a second while letting his thumb play by her mouth. In feigned irritation she bit his thumb lightly, causing him to laugh and take his hand back.

"Now, while we might have to bite the bullet with the Humphreys, there is one exception to the precedent of inviting family" she said.

"Jack."

"Our official story can be that his invitation got eaten by a crocodile, or something" Blair said. "He's still in Australia, right?"

"Yes, even though we removed him from his job at Bass Industries' offices there."

"I hope he's unemployed and miserable" Blair said generously. "Glad we are agreed. He's not coming."

"I don't think there was any real question on that matter" Chuck said. "Besides… It's more than enough that two people present will have slept with the bride."

"Feel free to not mention that fact on the actual day."

She went back to the previous page and counted the number of names she had jotted down. Then she turned the page again and looked thoughtful.

"We don't even have a place for the reception yet. How are we supposed to know how many people to invite to the full wedding and how many to just invite to the ceremony?"

"A later issue" Chuck said. "The invites aren't going out for quite some time yet."

She frowned deeply. She hated putting things off. She glanced over at Chuck, who had closed his eyes and leaned back in the tub. How could he be so calm? Determining who would be invited to their wedding was an important issue.

"You need to relax a little, _ma cherie_" Chuck said. "The whole Energizer bunny thing is cute and all, but the whole point of hiring a wedding planner is to put some of this stuff off your shoulders."

"A wedding planner doesn't know who we should invite to our wedding, or who we'd _want_ to invite" Blair argued.

"But she can pick out table cloths on her own. You don't need to help her with that."

"Hey I was in the neighborhood."

"No you weren't. You cancelled your Pilates to be able to be there."

"How about you show a little appreciation for the fact that I care whether or not our special day actually ends up being special?"

"It will be Blair. Don't worry."

"Well if we don't finish deciding who to invite we may not get to share all that specialness with the right people."

"Yes, the horror of forgetting one out of our seven hundred closest friends and family" Chuck said dryly.

"Well which family members to invite seems to be a done deal" she said, ignoring his tone. "What about business associates?"

"What about them?"

"Well who do you think we should invite?"

He opened one eye and glanced at her.

"You go to college so you have no business associates. As for me… I'll have my new secretary e-mail you a list."

"Chuck this is important! You can't pawn it off to some bimbo who tells people she's 'head of word processing' because admitting she's a secretary would be too embarrassing."

"Gloria is sixty-two" Chuck pointed out. "I don't think it's possible to be a bimbo after a certain age."

"Whatever."

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully while pondering which of her professors she should consider inviting.

"Put that thing aside for a moment" Chuck said. "Like you said, we don't have a place for the reception yet, therefore we don't' know how many people we can invite, therefore why bother writing a guest list at this point?"

"It's the first draft."

"And it can wait."

"I think those bathsalts are clouding your judgement. Now listen, we have already received about a hundred e-mails from people we went to school with, begging for an invite by way of congratulating us on our betrothal. I was thinking that we invite as few as possible, to make it clear that just because they happened to walk the same halls as us for four years that doesn't make them worthy of attending high society weddings. The added bonus is it can create a nice little divide between those who we deem worthy and those we don't. Also, do you think it's smart or weird if we invite the dean of NYU, I mean--"

Chuck took a deep breath and sunk down under the water. She sighed and waited for him to resurface.

"Fine. I admit defeat. Here, putting the notepad away."

"Thank you."

"So what do you want to talk about instead?"

"How about what happens immediately after the wedding. Namely you moving in with me, for real. You still have lots of stuff at your mother's penthouse, and you've got an impressive amount of stuff at NYU… Do you plan on packing everything a few days in advance and stay with me during your last days as a Waldorf, or will packing your stuff be the first thing we do when we get back?"

"I haven't given any thought to it yet" she admitted. "What do you think?"

"I'm thinking the amount of stuff you own makes me nervous. I honestly don't know if we'll be able to make room for it all in one hotel room."

"Well maybe I can just leave everything the way it is now" she said. "We have to start looking for a place of our own soon after we're married anyway. Until we can move in to our own penthouse, why not just keep things the way they are now?"

"I'm sorry, but I will not have my wife live at the dorms of some substandard college" Chuck objected. "Or anywhere else unless I live there too, I might add."

"All I'm saying is that if we spend one night or so a month in my dorm room I can keep it as storage space until we find our own place."

"Or we kick Nate out, use his room as storage space and live happily ever after here at the Empire."

Her mouth fell and she stared at him with such horror that he had to laugh.

"Chuck…"

"I was joking."

"Good, 'cause I'm thinking I want Park Avenue."

"Right. But for the first few months, we'll be staying here."

"I know. I expect it will take time to find the perfect place, and even more time to get it perfectly decorated."

"Maybe you should consider going on a sabbatical from all your planning once the wedding is done, and continue with college."

"Building our life together is more important than college."

"Lovely, but there's no reason we can't wait with fixing up whatever place we get until summer. Hey listen, going back to the invitations thing, I think I just got an idea."

"Great, let's hear it."

"Actually it's more a branching out of a previous idea… I've been thinking that when we return from our honeymoon, Mr. and Mrs. Bass should throw a brunch for our staff at the Empire, celebrating the fact that you will officially be the empress."

"Empress…" she said slowly, as if tasting the word. "I like it. Actually I _love_ it. An empress is a queen who is queen over other queens. It's perfect for me!"

"I know" he said. "I thought a brunch would be a nice touch to establish you as the good cop around here."

"So far I'm with you, but isn't it backwards to throw a brunch here at the hotel for the employees at the hotel? They can't enjoy it if they're working it. Are you planning on bringing in outsiders to work the thing? You know how territorial Chef Jones is."

"I know, that's why I was thinking we'll hold it at the Palace. This all has nothing to do with our wedding invitations, but here's what I started thinking. All the people we can't quite figure out whether or not to invite, we can have a brunch for them too once we get back."

"I like it" she said. "I knew I was marrying a genius."

"Good. How about we let that close the guest list issue for now, and start worrying about tonight instead? What do you want to do for dinner?"

"How about going over the wine selections?"

"Not what I had in mind" Chuck groaned and sunk back under the water again.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Have a great day =)


	9. Article

Just a short chapter this time around...

* * *

"Hey fiancé" Blair chirped, plopping herself down on the couch next to where Chuck was lying. "How goes your day?"

"Just fine, thank you" Chuck said without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

Blair grabbed the paper with a frown and yanked it away from him.

"Did you call the jeweler about the engravings?" she asked.

"I did."

"So you finally decided what you wanted to engrave mine with?"

"Finally? I knew what I wanted to go with from the start; it was you who had an unreasonable problem with it."

"I want something a little bit more romantic than: '_Property of Chuck Bass_'."

"Yeah, I got that from the long list of suggestions you sent me. You'll be unhappy to know I didn't go with any of your suggestions."

"Can you change engravings later on if you don't like the one you have?" Blair asked, a bit worried.

"Relax… I think you'll like it. But of course, by the time you get to see it you will already be married to me and it will be too late."

"You're about as reassuring as an airstrike alarm" Blair sighed.

"Forgive me if I'm cranky, but it's been almost four months without sex and I'm starting to hate you a bit. But here's something that will catch your interest. I got a call this morning from the _New York Times_. They want to do a feature on you and me and our wedding."

"Really?"

"Apparently the wedding of Bart Bass' son is considered something people would like to read about" Chuck said and shrugged a shoulder.

"Chuck…" Blair said with a sweet smile. "People don't read articles like that because of who the groom is. They read it because of who the bride is."

"They e-mailed me rundown of what they wanted to do with the thing… I told them I would run it by you and get back to them, although of course that was merely playing hard to get. I know how much you would like being in an article like that."

She fished out his phone from his pant pocket, causing him to make a strained face when her hand got a little too close to his crotch, and opened his e-mail account. She read the mail and frowned.

"Bass Jr. marries Upper East Side socialite" she read."That's their suggestion for a headline? That's awful! I am not a socialite! God, they make it seem like all I'm capable of is wearing pretty headbands, hosting brunches and holding your hand."

He refrained from comment but secretly found her indignation rather funny. She read on and then looked up at him.

"Call them back and tell them that they will be getting no interview from us if they plan on putting this spin on it!"

"I think we both know you will show them you are more than just an accessory" Chuck said. "Why not do the interview? We meet them for lunch, we tell them sweet stories about our relationship, we get coverage in the Times and hopefully it will help my reputation as a _former_ party brat, rather than a current."

"It's not your partying reputation you're worried about" Blair said. "It's your… Casanova reputation."

"I haven't been single in over three years, that reputation has faded."

"Not enough. And given our little game from our first summer which we sometimes resurrect it's not that strange, really. I stopped by the message board at Constance's website, and they had a whole thread devoted to how I was deluded to think I could ever keep Chuck Bass monogamous."

"Who cares what a bunch of high school kids think?"

"I didn't say I cared" Blair said and teasingly ran her hand up his thigh. "I have no doubt in your ability to be faithful. I'm just saying that getting married isn't going to make that reputation go away. People think you're screwing around behind my back all over Manhattan. Which reminds me, the game ends when the wedding bells chime. Scorned girlfriend is one thing, scorned wife is another."

"So let's do the interview. We can show people we are a devoted couple."

"I'll think about it" Blair said.

Chuck smiled to himself. He knew that Blair was eager to do the interview. She just seemed to love playing hard to get these days. She tossed his phone onto a pillow on the floor and laid down next to him, even though the couch was too narrow for two people to be lying side by side.

"I miss snuggling…" Blair said, and let her right hand play with the front of his shirt. "We haven't cuddled for real in weeks."

"You brought that on yourself. Have sex with me and I will cuddle you as much as you'd like."

She didn't reply and he gave in, moving over on his side to make more room for her. They wrapped their arms around each other and lay silent for a while.

"Fine" she then said. "I'll do the interview."

"I knew you would."

"But I won't do you. Yet."

"Then get off my couch, woman."

She chuckled and kissed him. He draped a leg around her and tried to think of the stock market or Siberia while she prattled on about orchids for some reason. He paid almost no attention to what she was saying and she didn't seem to notice. After a while she fell silent and nuzzled up closer to him, but her mind was active and she couldn't keep quiet for more than a few minutes.

"I can't believe I almost forgot!" she said.

"Mm?" he mumbled.

"I have to go buy underwear. I need to know exactly what I will be wearing underneath my wedding dress before my mother can properly--"

He groaned loudly, cutting her off mid-sentence, and shoved her off the couch and down on the floor. She sat up and looked at him with a baffled expression.

"Read the Geneva convention" he said. "Torture is never justified."

"Sorry. Forgot who I was talking to."

"Great."

"But seriously, I need to go shopping for a bra to wear to the dress. And some--"

"Just stop talking!"

"Fine" she said, getting up. "Geez Chuck, rent an adult video. You're being extremely testy. Pun intended."

He made a face at her but she didn't see it, already halfway to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out to shop unmentionables. Want to come with?"

"Seriously Blair!"

"Bye now" she chirped and left.

He sighed deeply and glanced over at the glass of ice water sitting on the table, pondering whether or not to empty it over his crotch.

* * *

Next chapter is more or less finished, so it should be up in a day or two. Till then, thanks for reading!


	10. RunThrough

This is the longest chapter to date, and I'm guessing the longest chapter this story will end up having... Just a bit of trivia =)

As always, I'm very grateful to those of you who review. Your encouragement and comments mean a lot, so thank you!

Have a happy read!

* * *

One morning in October Blair woke up early in her old room at her mother's penthouse and had Dorota prepare a large breakfast. Thirty minutes after her alarm had gone off she was sitting in her mother's living room with a large collection of binders, folders, notepads and whatnot on the table, different selections of breakfast spread out on another table, and a whole crowd of people around her.

Camille was sorting through everything to make sure everything was in the correct order, Serena was half asleep in an armchair, Sophie was eating croissants like she had never seen food before, Amalia was going through the books from different photographers and the twins were eyeing a list of string quartets available. The newest two members of Blair's posse, Greta and Cassandra, just sat and looked on while Blair took her time finishing her breakfast.

"You!" Blair said, snapping her finger at Cassandra. "Newest recruit! Wake Serena up, it's time to get down to business. Sophie please stop eating those. They will go straight to your thighs."

Camille opened her ridiculously large calendar and fished out a rundown of everything they needed to cover.

"Okay, let's see…" she said. "Let's start with the reception. Given the short notice we weren't able to book any of the places you wanted Blair."

"Ugh, it's like they don't even know they're turning down the most important wedding of the decade" Blair griped.

"So it will be at the Empire then?" Serena said sleepily.

"I'm working on a different solution" Camille said. "And I haven't quite given up on all our first choices yet either."

"I thought you were fine with having it at the Empire" Serena said to Blair.

"I was. But then I realized Chuck probably wouldn't be able to just relax and enjoy the night. I may have to put up with him being all preoccupied with work during our marriage, but I'm not going to have him torn between work and me during the first hours of it."

"The priest has been booked…" Camille went on, ignoring the conversation between Blair and Serena. "I've scheduled for you and Mr. Bass to meet up with him in November to discuss the details."

"Isn't that what the rehearsal is for?" Sophie piped up.

Blair scoffed with annoyance and made a face that clearly signaled that Sophie's question was too stupid to be worthy of an answer.

"He does expect Mr. Bass to be a devoted catholic" Camille reminded Blair. "If I were you I would have him study up. I got him some study aid."

"Perfect" Blair smiled.

"You should take a glance at it too" Camille said. "You will be expected to raise your children catholic, so it would be a good idea if you appeared to know anything about those traditions."

"Dorota can fill me in" Blair said, shrugging a shoulder.

"I cannot believe you will be basically lying in front of God on your wedding day" Serena said with rolling eyes.

"We'll be lying in November" Blair corrected her. "Chuck may not be an actively practicing catholic, but he's not a complete atheist. And as a WASP, I at least believe in God. So who cares if I believe in the rest of the catholic stuff?"

"The catholic church" Serena nominated.

"Well they shouldn't have bothered building such great premises for weddings if they had a problem with everyone wanting to get married there" Blair snarled. "It's their own fault, really. Besides, I don't frown upon all the catholic traditions. A sip of wine in the middle of the ceremony might be just what my nerves need."

Serena just shook her head and the fairly religious twins looked very uncomfortable. Blair paid no attention to them and helped herself to some yogurt.

"Camille, what's next?"

"Next up is music. You've settled for a string quartet?"

"Yes. We're going with live music all the way, naturally. Twin A, have you found anything good in the band selection?"

"The best choices have been circled."

"Nice work Twin A. Twin B, what about the string quartets?"

"They're all good, Blair."

Blair snorted.

"Good isn't good enough. We want fabulous. Hand that list over to Serena, she'll do some proper research."

"I'll do some research" Serena echoed and wrote it down in the calendar Blair had given her for everything wedding related.

Twin B got up and handed the list to a yawning Serena, who cast a quick glance at it and put it aside for the moment. She thought to herself that one of these days she and Blair really needed to learn the names of the twins, and who was who.

"What about the bridal waltz?" Amalia asked. "What song will you be dancing to?"

"We haven't decided yet" Blair said. "Something… classic."

"I have a cousin who danced the bridal waltz to '_I Will Always Love You_'" Greta said with an excited smile.

"Wonderful idea" Blair said with sarcasm. "Chuck and I can dance our first dance as husband and wife to a song that's about a relationship that's gone to hell. Is your cousin divorced yet?"

She made a mental note to talk to Chuck later about which song they would dance to. Then she grabbed her notepad and jotted it down there too. They had talked about it once, when they were dancing together in France at the surprise engagement party Harold and Roman, though mostly Roman, had thrown them on their last night there. The subject of their first dance as a married couple had come up, and Chuck had suggested "_Moon River_". Blair had liked the idea at first, but then rejected it as not having romantic enough lyrics. Nothing else concrete had been suggested and it was about time they took that discussion now.

"Do you want a soloist during the ceremony?" Camille asked.

"Naturally. Too bad we don't know anybody with a great singing voice. We'll have to hire someone."

"Cassandra has a pretty good singing voice" Greta offered.

"No thanks" Blair said.

"And have you decided on what songs should be sung?" Camille went on.

"I have a few ideas, but we can get into detail about that later. Amalia, you are now on soloist finding duty. Get me a good soprano, and maybe see if you can find a person to pluck a harp while you're at it."

"Is the guest list complete?" Camille asked.

"No not yet. But we're working on it."

"And do you have a toastmaster for the reception?"

Blair wrinkled her nose. She wasn't a big fan of toastmasters, but Camille had convinced her it would be a good idea.

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Serena said, finally seeming to wake up in her chair. "Are you going to ask someone in the nearest circle of friends?"

"Oh God no" Blair said.

"But I thought…"

"I'm going to hire someone. I'm thinking an actor from the stage but haven't decided yet. See, if I hire someone then I can tell them exactly how I want the whole thing to be run, and not have to worry about hurting their wee emotions."

"Why don't you just serve as toastmadam yourself and cut out the middle man?" Serena asked, eyes rolling.

"Please Serena, don't be ridiculous."

"Moving on" Camille said, eyes fixed on the list she was going through. "Did you decide on what to engrave the rings with yet?"

"Yes, that's all taken care of."

"I don't have to ask about the wedding gown because I know your mother is working on the design" Camille said. "But you do need to decide on how many bridesmaids you want, and who they should be. Their dresses need to be in production soon too."

"I'm thinking five bridesmaids, though I haven't decided on all of them yet" Blair said, putting her breakfast away.

"What about Mr. Bass, is his wardrobe settled?"

"You would have to ask Chuck" Blair said.

"You can't provide a status report?" Serena asked. "Wow, I thought you would know every last detail about his wardrobe. Probably decide upon most of it."

"We decided to make a little play on the whole not-seeing-the-bride-in-her-dress thing and have both our outfits be a surprise to the other" Blair told her. "Naturally I've gotten my mother involved to make sure he doesn't dress in anything too… well, it is Chuck."

"You don't need to know the color and fabric" Serena pointed out. "Just whether or not he's having his suit tailored yet."

"Phone" Blair said and held out her hand.

One of the twins hurriedly picked up the phone sitting on the coffee table and Blair dialed Chuck's number.

"Hey Bass" she said when he answered. "About your wardrobe. I need a status report."

"My wardrobe?" his confused voice said on the other end. "Am I having it remodeled?"

"Your wardrobe for the wedding, stupid."

"Meeting with the tailor in two weeks."

"Thanks, that's all I needed. Oh, but keep your phone nearby. You might get some emergency calls."

"Rundown with Camille today?" he sighed.

"You should sound more excited. I didn't drag you along so you've been spared the most of it. Love you, bye." She hung up and handed the phone to Sophie who put it back in its place. "He's meeting with his tailor in two weeks."

"Good" Camille nodded. "His groomsmen should have their suits tailored soon as well. Next item on the list… The invitations. You need to write the outline for them and send them to the printers by… late October."

"I'm leaving that mostly up to my mother" Blair said. "Since she and Daddy will be hosting the reception it's them who technically send out the invites."

"Where were we on the caterer?" Camille asked.

"Chuck chose a menu and ordered it. I'll have him e-mail you with more details."

"What will you be serving?" Sophie asked.

"Actually I don't know" Blair admitted. "Like I said, Chuck handled that."

"Alright then, next item on the list is photographer" Camille said.

"We haven't booked one yet" Blair said. "Amalia has their books."

"Do you want the most expensive one, or the one with the best book?" Amalia asked.

"The best book, naturally" Blair said, growing more tired of her minions by the minute.

"Then it's this one, in my opinion" Amalia said and held up a book.

"Great. Leave all the books with Dorota, and Chuck and I will look through them tonight" Blair said.

"Then what was the point of me looking through them?" Amalia had to ask.

"I never said there was one. Moving right along."

"Your hair" Camille said.

"Booked the best hair dresser in New York" Sophie said. "The one you asked for, Blair. He wants to meet with you a week or so in advance to discuss the details."

"Good work" Blair acknowledged.

"Blair I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything," Serena said, "but this is pretty dull. Are we only here to go over some stupid list?"

"S, this is a crucial part of the wedding planning process" Blair insisted. "I'm sorry if you think it's dull, but this is important to me."

"Everything is important to you."

"Well it is my wedding, and in violation of Upper East Side tradition, I only plan on getting married once."

"How come the maid of honor has to be here but the groom gets a free pass?"

"Because he made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be here, and unlike you he's VIP, not staff, so he's got a choice" Blair said. "Besides, we might end up discussing things he as the groom shouldn't know. Like my dress, for example."

"Yes I'm sure your whole wedding will be ruined if he learns that Eleanor has begun to work on it" Serena said sarcastically.

"Floral arrangements" Camille continued, ignoring the discussion. "Bridal bouquet is under control, but how about centerpieces?"

"Still undecided" Sophie reported.

"Decide. Soon. Transportation?"

"Chuck's limo" Blair said with a sweet smile. "It will pick me up at the hair salon and drive me to St. Patrick's. Then it will pick up Chuck for whatever errands he has to run. And of course it will be our method of transportation during the rest of the day."

"A limo?" Serena questioned. "I always figured you wanted the horse and carriage thing for your wedding?"

"In December?"

"It's not like you haven't done crazier things."

"Well we don't want the limo to feel left out" Blair said.

"It's a vehicle, not a pet" Serena argued.

"To us it's kind of a toss-up."

"How will you be getting from home to the hair salon?" Camille demanded to know, completely uninterested in Serena and Blair's banter.

"How about Chuck's chopper, for dramatic effect" Serena suggested dryly.

"What is with all the negativity?" Blair asked. "We've got the whole transportation thing under control, Camille. And S, if you must know, the chopper is our emergency contingency plan in case of heavy traffic or other disasters. What's next?"

"Your honeymoon."

"Oh, exciting!" Sophie chirped.

"You'll have to ask the groom" Blair smiled. "He insisted on planning it himself. But it is the middle of winter, so I'm guessing something tropical."

"I don't really care where you're going" Camille pointed out. "I only care that it's being arranged in proper time."

"Phone" Blair said.

"My cousin honeymooned in Tombstone" Greta chimed in. "Her husband has a huge fetish for the wild west."

Blair gave her a disgusted look while she dialed Chuck's number, and silently wondered if Greta's cousin had the most doomed marriage of all time.

"Gotten stuck already?" Chuck's voice answered her call.

"Camille wants to know about the honeymoon."

"Nice try" he scoffed.

"Here, I'll let you talk to her" Blair said with a smile, and tossed the phone to Camille.

"You know, my mother has been married five times, and I still had no idea this much planning went into it" Serena said. "Either my mother has more faith in her wedding planners than you do, or you just take it to much greater extremes."

"This is my _first_ wedding" Blair emphasized. "You can't put as much oomph into it the second, third, fourth and fifth time. It's not proper."

"And until Chuck dies, it's the only wedding you'll be able to have in a catholic church" Twin B piped up.

"Could you please not talk about my fiancé _dying_?" Blair said. "I have enough to stress over as it is."

"We know sweetie" Serena said. "Unwind. It would be good for your health."

"That's why I need this run-through" Blair said. "I can't unwind unless I know everything is going smoothly."

"How about after this we go out and find some proper spa service" Serena suggested. "Pedicures and massages, wouldn't that be great?"

"Sounds lovely" Amalia said.

"Too bad you're not invited" Blair said, wrinkling her nose. "Don't you have a soloist for our ceremony to find?"

Camille finished her debriefing of Chuck and tossed the phone back to Blair.

"Done sharing secrets with the hired help?" she said sweetly into the phone.

"How much are we paying this woman?" Chuck asked.

"Enough."

"Double it. She's a rock for putting up with all of this."

"Why do people keep talking like I've gone completely crazy?" Blair complained.

"You're passionate. Which is a good thing, but also something that can bring you and those around you ulcers. I've got to go, I'm having lunch with Eric in an hour and I'm in dire need of a shower. If there are any further emergencies, put them on hold. And remember, if you start experiencing sharp pain shooting up and down your left arm, that means it's time to grab a dictionary and look up the word '_easygoing_'. Love you."

He hung up and Blair handed the phone over to Sophie who put it back in its place. She glanced at the clock on the wall and wondered why Eric always insisted on having lunch before noon.

"I trust you got what you needed" she said to Camille, who was making notes.

"I did" she confirmed.

"Do the plans sound promising?" Amalia wanted to know.

"It's Chuck" Serena said. "He's not going to settle for a week on Mallorca."

"We're almost done now" Camille said, looking up from her lists. "Two more things. First, printables. We've talked about what you're going to have, but have they been put into motion? Fonts, text, shades, the works?"

"No" Blair said. "I asked Twin A to get me some samples for inspiration but so far I haven't gotten any."

Twin A blushed and turned away from Blair's sharp, disapproving eyes.

"I think my mother still has a catalogue for printables, or something like that" Serena said. "You could start by looking there."

"Thanks S. Twin A, if I were you I would get to work. What's the point of having minions if they won't do the leg work? I knew I should have outsourced as much as possible to Dorota… You know what? Twin A, forget about it. I _will_ let Dorota handle it."

"Get back to me on this as soon as you can" Camille said. "Last item then… The rehearsal dinner."

"Talk to Lily, she's offered to arrange it for us" Blair said. "Which is a blessing, because frankly it's enough hassle to plan the reception."

"I need a phone number for her then" Camille said.

Serena jotted down her mother's phone number and passed it along to Camille. Blair got up from her seat and brushed a few crumbs off her skirt, the members of her posse rising as soon as she did.

"So we're done then?" Blair concluded.

"For today at least" Camille said. "I'll e-mail you with a reminder of everything I want you to get back to me on."

"Fabulous. Camille, you are a rock. Maybe I should add you to my crew instead of all these morons. Morons, you all have your assignments, consider yourselves dismissed."

Trying to hide a smile Serena got up, yawned and stretched. She followed Blair towards the elevators, looking forward to a nice massage and getting to discuss her own stuff for a while. She had an unspoken agreement with Blair by now, that after spending hands-on time with something wedding related, all wedding talk would be banned for at least a couple of hours. Surprisingly enough Blair had honored the agreement every time.

"Let's go B" she said, grabbing her coat. "My feet need new nail polish."

"It scares me that you're dating a guy with a foot fetish" Blair sighed.

-

After the spa treatments with Serena Blair headed to the Empire, where she found Chuck playing his latest computer game on his laptop. He looked up when she came in and quit the game. He was losing anyway.

"Hey you" he said.

"Hi yourself."

"Come here. You smell like cinnamon. Why?"

"Serena and I tried out the latest in the world of spa" she said, moved the laptop aside and sat down on his lap. "Unfortunately, my feet don't match the rest of me, 'cause they smell like orange."

"What does that make you? Eclectic?"

"How was lunch with Eric?"

"Satiating. How was the meeting with Camille?"

"Productive."

"Hand me the laptop Waldorf, let me show you something."

She reached for the computer and he placed it on her lap, struggling to write on the keyboard from the angle he ended up with. After a bit of trouble he managed to access his e-mail account and opened something he had received earlier that day.

"I thought you might like to see this… The reporter from the Times sent me a copy of the interview, before it goes to the printer. Officially, so that we can see it first. Unofficially, so we can shriek loudly now if there's something we disapprove of, rather than after it's been printed and sold."

The first thing that caught her eye was that the word "socialite" had vanished from the headline. She smiled slightly. At least this couldn't be completely hopeless.

He let her take her time reading it, gently stroking her back while she did. He had already read it and had no problems with it. She made a few comments here and there, but there was nothing she deemed horrible.

"I really don't get why it focuses on you more than me" she said with a frown once she had gotten to the end.

"Well maybe if your mother had died and you had inherited her legacy, they would have focused on you."

"Just the fact that I _am_ Eleanor Waldorf's daughter should be enough to merit focus" she replied.

"Just be glad they're not writing you as a sweet ornament" he said. "I hate those 'behind every great man…' stories."

"When did you say that we are building _our_ business empire?" she asked. "I don't remember that."

"I probably said it while you were on the phone with Camille. I've told you before, once we're married everything we do business-wise will be _ours_, together."

"I must say, you did good Bass…" she said, closing the window with the article. "Your father would be proud to read an article where you represent yourself this way. And you didn't even say '_because I'm Chuck Bass_' once while they were interviewing us."

"I want to create a better reputation for myself. Perhaps it is time for me to drop the Chuck Bass thing altogether. Start calling myself Charles instead."

"Geez Bass, can't you wait until thirty before you turn mega-grownup?"

"I guess not. I'm only twenty-one and I'm getting married."

She opened the document with the article again and read through it once more. He noticed a frown appearing on her face.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just… This whole 'we're building this business empire together' thing is endearing, but perhaps you shouldn't put so much emphasis on it being something we're doing together. Because it isn't. I don't want credit for your hard work."

"First of all it's not like I get no help from you. Second, I wouldn't even have set out on my own if it wasn't for you."

"But that's not the same thing as us doing it together" she objected. "Don't get me wrong, I love getting credit, and I love basking in your triumph… But I think you're selling yourself short giving me this much credit."

"Well, once you have your college degree you'll be joining me at the Bass Empire, which by the way is what I've decided to call my own company."

"Because of the hotel? I like it. But who says I'm going to come work with you when I've graduated?"

He looked a bit taken aback.

"Who says you're _not_? I'm longing for the day when we're officially working together, side by side."

"But what if that's not what _I_ want?" she asked, frowning deeper.

"I'm sorry, where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"Where is this coming from? When have we ever discussed my future post-college? I don't remember pinky-swearing that we'd work together."

He looked at her, at a loss for words. She put aside the laptop and got up from his lap, taking a few steps away from him. He rose and tried to arrange his thoughts into something coherent he could voice.

"I thought that was the plan" he said. "You and me, the ultimate power couple. We'd rule Manhattan if we put our minds together and worked as a team."

"I know we would. But maybe that's not what I want."

"Please, power is like oxygen to you."

"Maybe I want to go work for someone else. Or start out on my own, like you did."

"Okay fine, start out on your own. You can have your own… franchise within the company, or a subsidiary."

"How is that branching out on my own?"

"Why wouldn't you want to be a part of the Bass business if you are a Bass?" he retorted. "Why is working at my company so awful?"

"You stepped out of your father's shadow and started something on your own. If I want to do the same, can you really blame me? I mean, I don't have any plans on doing that at the moment but who knows how I'll feel once I've graduated?"

"Hopefully you'll feel like working where you belong."

"How do you know that this is where I belong?" she asked. "I love you, but I don't want to _have_ to work with you."

"I would have thought you'd rather work with me than possibly against me" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be about you" she retorted. "For once in my life I like not knowing what I'm going to do for a living. Figuratively speaking of course, since I don't _need_ to work for a living. But I like knowing I have options. I'm not saying I can't imagine coming to work with you but I sure as hell want to have a choice."

"One of the reasons I'm giving you half of the hotel is because I thought we would be in this together."

"You're not giving me half, you're giving me 49%. And I told you before, you don't have to do that. I won't freak if you decide to change your mind, and if it comes with strings then I really don't want it."

"No, it doesn't come with strings" he sighed. "And it's yours no matter what. But we're supposed to be a unit."

"Lots of couples work for different companies. In fact, nearly _all_ couples do. I might work for someone else for a few years and stand on my own two feet, and then join you later on. So long as you know you have my full support with your business, does it really matter if I work side by side with you or not?"

"It does, actually."

She sighed and groaned with frustration. It had been a long day, and the relaxation she had felt after the spa treatment had already worn off completely.

"You said you don't like the whole 'behind every powerful man' thing, so why can't you be supportive if I choose to work elsewhere?" she asked.

"I never said I wouldn't support you. But I would be incredibly disappointed."

"So supportive, but with a touch of emotional blackmail? The foundation for every successful marriage."

"You can't blame me for being disappointed if my partner doesn't want to be my partner in every field."

"Is this argument really worth having?" she sighed. "It has been a very long day, and quite frankly it's pointless to discuss."

"That's what you always say when you have no intention of listening to a damn thing I say" he snarled.

"No. It's pointless because I might end up working with you right away after graduation, in which case this argument will have been all for nothing. And if I don't, what can you really do about it?"

"That's not how things will work once we're married. We can't do things just based on what serves ourselves best. We need to consider the other's standpoint."

"I don't see you considering mine."

"I haven't exactly told you I _forbid_ you from working for anyone but me."

"Probably because you know you can't."

"Oh that's nice. Thanks for thinking so highly of me."

"I can't have this fight right now" she sighed. "I just can't believe the man I'm marrying would go bonkers if I didn't want to work for his precious company. You got to decide for yourself so why can't I?"

"Fine" he said. "Go work for whoever the hell you want. Let me e-mail you a rundown of my largest competitors, you can send them your CV."

"Real mature. You know I wouldn't go work for any of them."

"I'm not sure I'd put it past you."

Her face fell and he regretted having said that. He knew fully well she would never do anything to threaten his business. But he was angry and kind of hurt, and he was too damn tired of her wedding antics and her refusal to sleep with him, and part of him felt she deserved to feel rejected too.

"If you'll excuse me" she said, walking past him towards the door. "I apparently have a CV to compile."

He said nothing, and sunk back down on the couch when he heard the door slam. He lifted his right hand to his face and began to rub his temples slowly. Why the hell did she have to be the only person he knew who could match him in stubbornness?

-

Later that evening he went down to Gimlet to speak to Horace about some recent issues, and was surprised to find her sitting by the bar. He walked over and took a seat on the empty barstool next to hers.

"Having drinks on the house?" he asked.

"No. Unlike you I actually pay for stuff here."

"For no good reason."

"I know this may sound hard to believe, but there are times when I like to feel like I've earned what I enjoy."

"And you feel like you wouldn't have earned anything if you came to work with me?" he asked gently.

"I told you, I wouldn't mind working with you. What I mind is feeling the _obligation_ to do so. There are a lot of things I could learn from working for someone else."

"Industrial espionage for instance."

"Shut up, I'm serious."

"I know you are. But I am disappointed to hear you're considering making use of that college degree elsewhere. I like working with you. I've been looking forward to climbing to the very top with you."

"Do you have to do that before we're thirty?" she asked.

"Damn straight I do. Anyone can be successful with enough time on their hands; it's reaching the top in a short amount of time that is the true achievement. I could do that without you, but it wouldn't be the same. But if you want to work for someone else then I promise I won't throw too big a tantrum over it. So long as you head off to work every day knowing that I miss you by my side."

"Can't we just put this on hold, and cross that bridge if we do get there?" she suggested, feeling incredibly tired.

"I guess we can."

She gave him a halfhearted, tired smile. He glanced at her drink and decided the glass was too full. He grabbed it and downed it quickly.

"Hey!" she objected.

"Come on partner" he said, getting down from the stool and offering her a hand. "If I can't have make up sex then I at least demand make up make out."

"So long as you remember, hands where I can see them" she said, and took his hand.

"Yeah, yeah… We can discuss it in the elevator."

She sighed and followed him through the bar towards the elevators. Truthfully all she wanted to do was crawl underneath the covers and go to sleep, but perhaps some PG-13 quality time would be the only decent way to put an end to this far too long day.

"Something I've been meaning to ask… Should our safety word for sex double as our safety word for making out, now that you refuse to put out?" he asked as they waited for the elevator.

She smiled slightly. Their sexual safety word, or rather her sexual safety word, was "discount", since that was a word Chuck knew Blair would never feel compelled to say otherwise, and there really wasn't anything she could do that would merit him needing one.

"I think this situation deserves its own safety word" she said as they stepped inside the elevator. "How about 'wedding planning'? At the moment, those two words are definitely going to make me lose wood…"

* * *

... And that's probably the most drama you'll get out of this series. There won't be any "will they cancel the wedding?" scenarios, and I want to keep it more on the light side overall. But I figured you can't chronicle an engagement without including at least one argument ;)

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review.


	11. Sleep

Here's a chapter that's just an in-betweener. There is absolutely nothing related to the actual wedding, it's basically a little drabble that I wanted to throw in here. Hope you'll like it =)

* * *

Blair cast a glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand and sighed. It was past two in the morning and she couldn't sleep. The bed in her dorm room was comfortable enough, her neighbors were not making any noise and she had had a long day, still it was hard to go to sleep. It was October by now, only two months to go before the wedding, but it wasn't thoughts of the wedding plans that were keeping her awake. It had been far too easy to get used to sharing a bed with someone and now it was way too difficult to get used to sleeping alone every night.

Blair was more of a night owl and Chuck an early bird. Usually they were pretty synced with their sleeping hours anyway, but he rarely went to sleep after she did and she liked having it that way. During the first phase of intoxicating love she had loved to watch him sleep, sometimes for hours, sometimes daydreaming about him and other times just letting the sight of him be enough. While she still stayed awake sometimes for that purpose nowadays it didn't happen more or less every night like it had during their first summer. The allure of being the last one to fall asleep had more to do with a sense of security.

She hadn't wanted to admit it, but when he came back for her the week after graduation there was a part of her that couldn't completely trust him. Some instinct of self-preservation, coupled with painful memories of past experiences, kept her on guard in case he would run again. So long as she could hear his sleeping breaths she knew he was still there. After a while that doubt had gone away, only to come back again full force when they had their first real fight. But as time went by she knew to depend on him still being there when she woke up in the morning. But even after she had reached that stage of security she had enjoyed hearing him breathing in his sleep, so close to her. She didn't even mind the light snoring that had started around the time he turned twenty. Being able to hear him in the dark made her feel safe, protected and relaxed. She missed it when they were sleeping apart. It was too quiet without him.

She tried to comfort herself thinking about how they would soon be together forever. But this was taking its toll, and at the moment she really doubted that her idea of no more sex before marriage was all that brilliant. Surely it couldn't be worth all of this, but they had made it four months and she wasn't about to give in now with only two more to go. It was just too much to deal with that it had also ended up coming with separate bedrooms, something she had only joked about initially but after a few too many quarrels at bedtime decided would be a good idea. She spent most of her nights at the dorms, rarely sleeping at the Empire more than once or twice a week.

The clock turned 2:15. She wondered what Chuck was doing. Sleeping, unless he had a really good reason to still be awake, but she wondered how. He liked sleeping on his side, but it didn't matter much which one. When he slept on his left side he usually spooned her or rested an arm around her waist, depending on how she was sleeping. How many pillows was he sleeping on tonight? Blair usually settled for one, while Chuck could sometimes have three. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else, but her mind drifted to the fact that she was curled up on her right side, on the side of the bed where Chuck usually slept. It was actually her favorite side of the bed too, but it had ended up being his side when they had begun sharing a bed. During their honeymoon period they both slept on that half of the bed, as close together as possible, and he had been closest to the edge of the bed since she was a more acrobatic sleeper and after one night of her rolling out of bed in her sleep he had wanted her away from the edge. Once summer was over they had gone back to appreciating some sleeping space, and the natural thing had been for Blair to stay on the side she had gotten used to being on.

Realizing this wasn't going to help her go to sleep she turned on the lamp on her nightstand and reached for her cell phone. He didn't normally keep his phone in the bedroom during the night, often it was being recharged in the living room, so she wasn't worried about waking him up. She just had to get some of her frustration and longing out of her system.

"_Hope I didn't wake U. I just had to text U. Can't sleep, miss U so. Can't wait 4 4ever. Love_."

She sent the text and put her phone down before switching the light off. She waited for about ten minutes, partly hoping that she had woke him up and that he would text her back. When no reply came she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

-

Chuck stirred in his sleep. At first he wasn't sure what had woken him, then he realized it was a text. He reached out a hand for his phone, fumbling for a while before finding it, and wondered who thought it would be a good idea to send a text at this hour.

He sat up in bed and read the text. A hint of a smile appeared on his face. Then he remembered what time it was and sighed heavily. Well, he was awake now. With a groan he swung both his legs over the side of the bed and got up.

-

Just before three in the morning he unlocked her dorm room as quietly as possible, not bothering to knock, and snuck inside. Chances were she was still awake, but if she wasn't there was no need to be loud.

"Blair?" he whispered.

No response. He took off his shoes, hung up his coat and tossed his pants aside. He walked over to the bed and stopped to look at her. She had fallen asleep in the narrow bed, covers up to her chin, only her sweet little head visible. Her hair was spread out on her pillow and he suddenly remembered that her dorm bed only had two pillows. He should have remembered to bring an extra.

He lifted up the covers and crawled into bed, remembering that this bed was a lot narrower than any other bed they had ever slept in, and so she had only one comforter. Now he remembered what he had liked about sleeping over at her dorm room. You didn't get the same closeness with one comforter each.

He got as close to her as he could, gently kissing her ear as he spooned her.

"Blair…" he mumbled in her ear. "Wake up."

"Chuck?" he heard her voice ask.

He kissed the side of her head in response and she stirred and turned her face to look at him with confused, sleepy eyes.

"I missed you too…" he said.

"My text? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I figured your phone would be in the living room."

"I'm glad you woke me. What is your alarm set on?"

"Nine."

"Make it six-thirty."

She reached out her hand and fumbled with the alarm while he let his hand stroke her through her sleepwear, carefully avoiding any spot that might trigger their desire. Right now he didn't even feel like he needed sex as much as he had every night since the last time they slept together. They had spent so many nights sleeping apart that the closeness was enough.

After setting the alarm she shifted in bed and handed him her pillow. He looked at it with confusion and she took it again and nodded for him to lift himself up for a moment. She arranged the pillows for him and he laid back down, on his back this time, smiling slightly. She knew how uncomfortable he was sleeping with just the one pillow. Blair rested her head on his chest, wrapped her right arm around him and sighed contently.

"I love you for surprising me like this" she whispered.

He smiled and was about to reply when he realized what his hands were stroking. Her pajamas had seemed too big for her, but it hadn't dawned on him until now that it was also quite familiar.

"I've been driving myself crazy looking for this" he said.

"Mmm? What?"

"You stole my favorite pajamas, you little minx."

"Sorry…" she mumbled, not seeming to mean a word.

"You could have at least said something" he whispered and kissed the top of her head. "I was starting to suspect someone in housekeeping."

"Sorry…" she mumbled slowly, barely awake. "I love how it smells of you. And if I can't have Chuck Bass in my bed I can at least have what Chuck Bass _wears_ to bed when he's not sleeping nude…"

"Then I will help myself to one of your nighties in return."

That woke her up. She lifted her head and gave him a slightly shocked look.

"Chuck. If you fit in my nighties I will kill myself."

"Then come back home" he chuckled and gave her a kiss. "Take my pajamas with you. You can enjoy me in the pajamas."

"I'll think about it" she smiled and laid her head back down.

He let one hand play with her hair while the other one caressed her gently. He didn't look at the time but he was exhausted and he knew he had only a few hours until he had to be up and on his way. But Blair practically purring in his arms was worth the trip to NYU and the lack of sleep. He had more than once toyed with the idea of going over her head to get her tossed out of her dorm room, but he knew she had had to go through some trouble to get to keep it during her sabbatical and it didn't seem wise to infuriate her at this point. Only two more months to go and then she would be back where she belonged every night. For the first time in his life he found himself looking forward to Christmas.

* * *

We'll be back on track by the next chapter =) Thanks for reading!


	12. Registering for Gifts

Hi again! Feeling inspired so here's another finished chapter =) I don't have much to say this time, except, as always, thanks all of you who review! I'm really glad I've been able to hold your interest for over ten chapters even though nothing really "happens" in this story.

Hope you'll enjoy the read!

* * *

"Do you know what I've come to realize?" Blair said to Nate as she walked into the Empire penthouse.

"No, but I'm sure it's wonderfully enlightening" Nate said in a bored tone.

"We own too much stuff" Blair said, placing her purse on the floor before sitting down on the couch.

"Blasphemy!" Nate fake-gasped.

"What are we supposed to register for really?" Blair whined, paying no attention to the tone in his voice.

"You don't own lots of stuff" Nate protested. "Look around you Blair. Everything in here might technically be owned by Chuck, but it belongs to the hotel. You need _everything_. When you guys move into your own place you will have what, a glass pitcher and a breakfast trey that you stole from the Empire?"

"Chuck inherited basically everything when Bart died. Technically all we have to do is send Dorota to Lily and have her pack up everything we feel we might need."

"Perhaps not the best way for you to create a good relationship with your mother-in-law" Nate pointed out.

"Well, I don't agree with you on the we-own-nothing thing, but on the other hand… It might be nice to get our very own stuff. We can even bring Dorota with us when we pick out kitchenware! She will be the one to use it, after all. Or maybe we should just get everything monogrammed with our initials."

Nate chuckled and poured himself a glass of scotch. Blair looked around the room with a frown.

"Where is Chuck? I told him I would stop by before lunch!"

"It's nine-thirty. He's still asleep."

"Time for him to wake up" Blair declared and skipped to her feet.

Nate shrugged and went to his own room while Blair walked over to Chuck's. She opened the door and stopped in the doorway for a second. She smiled at the sight of him, curled up in a fetal position with the two largest pillows in the bed under his head. He was wearing the new satin pajamas she had bought him, but she had to admit that they didn't look as good on him as his favorite ones did.

She walked over and got on the bed, crawling over to him. She let one hand help support her weight while the other gently caressed his cheek and moved the bangs away from his face. He made a noise but didn't wake up so she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Wake up, love…" she said softly.

He opened one eye and looked at her. Then he moved over on his back, reached an arm around her waist and pulled her down on top of him, letting his other hand grab the back of her head and press her face down for a hard kiss.

"Chuck!" she gasped when he loosened his grip.

"Man you look sexy…" he mumbled.

"Time to wake--" she began, but the word 'up' turned into a cry as he rolled her over so that he was on top.

"Morning, baby" he mumbled and kissed her neck.

"This is so not what I came here for" she tried to protest.

He didn't answer. Instead he fumbled with the comforter until he had gotten rid of it, and then continued to plant kisses along her neck, moving downward, as his hand moved up her thigh. He could hear her breathe heavily and grinned into her collar bone.

"Chuck… That's quite enough…"

"You don't seem like you want me to stop…"

She moaned and he gave her a deep kiss before resuming where he had left off on her chest, tugging at her clothes while working his way downward. She gave serious consideration to simply giving in and letting him have his way with her. They had been torturing themselves for far too long. She knew that if he got far enough with his kisses she wouldn't be able to resist anymore, but she couldn't quite bring herself to push him away.

"Hello?" a voice called out in the other room.

Blair lifted herself up on her elbows. Saved in the nick of time. She gave Chuck a light slap on the head. He hadn't stopped his trail of kisses.

"That's enough Chuck. Serena is here."

He mumbled something incoherent but didn't stop, so she pinched his ear.

"Ow!" he complained.

"Go hop in the shower" Blair said, pushing him off her and rearranging her clothes as she got up from the bed. "Make it a cold one."

He groaned loudly in frustration and buried his face in the mattress. Blair did her best to shake the desire that didn't take much to waken these days and refused to let on that his advances had had the desired effect.

"Chop, chop Chuck" she said. "We have to get moving."

"Blair?" Serena's voice called from the other room. "Chuck? Nate?"

"Coming!" Blair said and tugged at Chuck's foot to get him moving before she hurried out to Serena. "S, I'm so glad you're here!"

Serena smiled at her and gave her a hug. Blair motioned to the couch and they sat down, Blair already back on the subject of what sort of gifts she and Chuck should be registering for. She had called Serena the day before asking for her assistance in the matter, and Serena had been more than happy to help out with anything that could be considered shopping.

"Chuck!" Blair yelled, pausing in the middle of a minor monologue, wishing he would hurry up already.

No response came and she sighed with frustration but decided to leave it for a few minutes more. Five minutes later, just as she and Serena had gotten to the subject of porcelain, Chuck appeared in the doorway, wrapped in a thick robe and sporting the sullen face that always made Serena want to run and hide. She couldn't quite understand how Blair voluntarily would put up with that face for the rest of her years.

"Good morning" she offered her stepbrother weakly.

"Not exactly" he growled and made his way to the bathroom.

"Remember baby, cold!" Blair called after him but only got a slamming door in response.

"What's up with him?" Serena asked.

"Oh nothing…" Blair said sweetly. Then she grinned mischievously. "Nothing is literally what is bothering him."

A solid half hour later Chuck emerged from the bathroom and ignored the two women has he went back into his bedroom to get dressed. Blair smiled to herself at the strained look on his face. Served him right for almost getting her to capitulate, and with only two months left to go. She casually pulled her hair into a pony tail, exposing her neck. If he was going to make this whole thing all the more torturous for her then she was going to play his game. And she was not about to play fair.

When Chuck finally came back out, dressed and ready, he was still looking grim. He sunk down in an armchair, cast one glance at Blair and her neck and then firmly placed his glare on the pool table. Five seconds later he realized all he could think of when he saw the pool table was the time he and Blair had had sex on it, and he went up to grab himself a whiskey to stare at instead.

"Don't drink on an empty stomach" Blair scolded. "There's some of Nate's breakfast left, have that."

"Yes dear" he mumbled in a tone which made Serena wonder why Blair liked teasing him when he was in this mood.

"Had a rough night?" she offered weakly.

"Even rougher morning" Chuck said and glared at Blair as he sat down with Nate's leftover omelet.

"All work and no play makes Bass a pain in the ass?" Serena concluded.

"Sis, I'm overworked, under slept, I've got wedding plans up to my eyeballs, have to get hitched in a scary ass cathedral, in the name of a divinity I don't quite believe in, I haven't had sex since circa the civil war and I'm eating a disgusting, cold omelet. Choose your words wisely if you want to make it to twenty-three."

"You're in luck" Blair told Serena. "He's in one of his good moods."

"You're joking, right?" Serena said, eyeing Chuck with a touch of trepidation.

"He's just PMS-ing" Blair shrugged, getting an evil glare from her fiancé. "Ignore him."

"Why are you even here, sis?" Chuck growled between bites. "Blair hardly ever sleeps here anymore so randomly dropping by here to see her would be stupid even for you, and you don't seem like you're here for me or Nate."

"We're supposed to start looking over what we want to register for" Blair reminded him. "Remember?"

"Fantastic" Chuck said with complete lack of enthusiasm.

"Cranky pants" Blair shrugged to Serena. "But you've got to love him."

"No" Serena said. "_You_'_ve _got to love him. I will be making no such promise."

"And she loves cruelly" Chuck said.

"How is this productive?" Blair asked him. "Seriously, I am done fighting with you over this. Now eat your omelet, start getting greedy and focus all that pent-up energy on what we want people to give us for our wedding!"

"I nominate handcuffs, massage oils and edible underwear."

"Ew gross!" Serena complained.

"I was thinking more along the lines of artwork and household items" Blair said. "Oh, we should include some stuff that's way below our price range, so that the Brooklyn folks won't feel threatened or whatever. Like a blender!"

"Oh, or maybe an orange juice press" Serena suggested. "I saw this really pretty pink one the other day."

"Nate get out here!" Chuck more or less roared.

Nate stuck his head out from his door and gave his friends a confused look.

"You barked?"

"I need some help with these two" Chuck sighed. "Or else I will be stuck discussing silverware and china patterns all day."

"Oh! China patterns!" Serena exclaimed, clapping her hands with excitement.

Blair opened her large bag and lifted out numerous catalogues which she placed on the table as Nate came over and raised an eyebrow at Chuck eating his cold, leftover omelet.

"Serena, you can take the Tiffany's catalogue" Blair said and handed the top one in her bunch to Serena. "Boys, do you want to look at furniture or glass?"

"You're on your own, dude" Nate told Chuck and hurried out the door.

"Defector" Chuck muttered.

-

Three hours later Chuck, Blair, Serena and Eric were walking down Fifth Avenue, en route to go on a registering spree. Blair had one of her notebooks in hand, full of lists of stores to visit and what to register for in those stores.

"Spontaneity really has no place with you two, does it?" Eric remarked.

"Trust me" Blair said. "It will go a lot faster this way."

"I take it death will come on swift wings to he or she who thinks to add something they spot and like in one of the stores?"

"If you do it, yes" Blair said. "If Serena does it, maybe. Chuck… if he wants something then register for it."

"Nice" Chuck mumbled, still in a bad mood.

"This should be so much fun" Serena said, not bothering to disguise the lie with a cheerful tone.

"We have a lot of stores to visit so we really should get a move on" Blair said.

"How about we split up?" Chuck suggested. "Eric and I will take a bunch of your notepads and go visit the stores you've chronicled in them. You and Serena take the rest, and we'll meet up later to get something to eat. And don't forget, we need to go down to City Hall and get our marriage license."

"Fine."

Chuck reached inside her purse and grabbed two out of three notepads she had in there. She saw which two he had gotten a hold of and protested.

"No Chuck, not the Tiffany's one! Serena and I wanted to go there."

"You've already looked through the damn catalogue twice, what does it matter if you go there or not?" Chuck growled. "Come on Eric. Let's get a move on."

He headed off in the direction of the first store in the notepad with Eric in tow. Serena breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was gone.

"God Blair, I don't know how you put up with this mood" she said.

"I don't, really. I spent most of my nights at the dorm. He's just frustrated Serena, you know how he gets."

"I know. And just so _you_ know, I am on Team Chuck on the whole sex thing. At first I thought it was highly entertaining that you would put him through that, because let's face it, watching Chuck Bass squirm can be endlessly entertaining. And it's not like he doesn't deserve it. But now that I'm more often subjected to his grumpy mood I don't like it."

"I will cave" Blair said reassuringly. "On my wedding night."

"That doesn't count as caving."

"If we've made it almost to November then we can make it to the end of December. I promise I will keep him properly satisfied post-nuptial."

"I would be just as fine with having him chemically castrated."

"He's your only shot at a biological niece or nephew" Blair said.

"He's not my biological sibling" Serena pointed out.

"Yeah I realized that came out wrong. I meant to say something about how... Ah, never mind. Let's just hurry and get to the first store on the list."

"Do you really think it's wise to register for so much stuff?" Serena asked. "Isn't it better to go with less stuff so that you can feel sure you will get what you want?"

"I want a lot of stuff" Blair shrugged. "Plus I like the surprise."

She grabbed Serena's arm and headed off to the first store on her list. Secretly she was happy Chuck had suggested that they split up, since he was being kind of a buzz kill at the moment. They had never had any of the typical fights other couples seemed to have when they got engaged, instead they had a lot of conflict arise from the sexual frustration. He was beyond over the idea, had been for months, while she still thought it would end up making their wedding night ten times more special. Unfortunately they were driving each other crazy over it, and not in a good way.

-

That evening Chuck retreated to his bedroom once he and Nate had finished their room service dinner. Nate appeared in the doorway after ten minutes, checking to see if getting food in his stomach had done anything to improve Chuck's mood. It hadn't.

"I downloaded the latest '_Sherlock Holmes_' movie" Nate tried. "We could watch it. Give you something else to think about."

"No thanks, I'm not in the mood."

"Dude, why are you reading '_Catholicism for Dummies_'?"

"Camille gave it to me. So I don't mess up in front of the priest."

"The closer we get to your wedding, the more I realize I really dodged a bullet with Blair" Nate commented.

"I don't mind…" Chuck said. "I don't really care either way who marries us, so long as we end up wed. But it matters to Blair."

"Devoted catholic Blair."

"Indeed."

"So why bother?"

"You know it's not the catholic thing that's important to her, it's the cathedral. If that makes her happy then I can stomach reading a book or two about whatever religion my father chose to pawn me off to when I was an infant."

"Yeah, but you don't seem as happy as you were this summer" Nate pointed out. "Are you sure about all of this?"

"I'm tired" Chuck admitted with a sigh. "But I am sure."

"Sure it's not cold feet?"

"No, no cold feet. I've wanted this for far too long. But putting everything together in only half a year is a lot of work, and I'm not even all that involved."

"I bet half the work is stomaching Blair doing most of the work."

"Yeah, she's easily the most annoying bride north of the south pole. In all honesty, I'm beginning to feel like Sam Gamgee to her Frodo Baggins" Chuck sighed. "Except instead of throwing a ring into a volcano she's striving for getting a ring on her finger, and organizing the best wedding of all time. She's the one with the quest but more and more I feel like I'm the one who has to carry her."

"Who is Gollum in this incredibly far-fetched metaphor?" Nate asked.

"I'll have to get back to you on that one."

"Maybe we should have another Lost Weekend" Nate suggested. "Take your mind off things."

"I think we're done with the Lost Weekends" Chuck said. "But thanks for the offer. Listen, you go ahead and watch the movie. I'm gonna see if this book offers some catholic tips on how to quench your libido."

Nate gave him a small wave and went away. Chuck sighed heavily and tried to focus on the ever so fascinating book in his hands. After about an hour his door opened again. He looked up, this time seeing Blair.

"Hey" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to spend some time with my fiancé" she said, closing the door behind her.

He didn't say anything, waiting for her next move. She walked over and got on the bed, casting a glance at the book in his hands before gently taking it from him and putting it aside.

"Listen… About this morning…"

"We don't have to talk about it" he said.

"I think maybe we should" she said. "Look I know this is hard. Frustrating. I wish I could tell you how much I appreciate that you're doing this with me."

"I don't really have much of a choice" he pointed out. "We both know that it wouldn't take more than the slightest insinuation on your part for me to throw this whole romantic scenario out the window and get my complete satisfaction."

"We also both know that you could be pressing the issue much harder than you are" she replied. "So thank you."

"You owe me big time."

"People _have_ gone longer without having sex."

"Yeah, but lack of sex turns people evil. Ever read the '_Malleus Maleficarum_'? Why is this so important to you anyway?" he asked.

"I've told you why."

"I seriously wish you would stop defining romance based on Old Hollywood."

"Well, it started as something I thought would be incredibly romantic… Now, after a few months, it's turned into something more."

"The word you're looking for is '_unbearable'_."

"I… I like the confirmation that we are about more than just sex."

"Blair have you been accidentally sniffing glue while making one of those planning collages of yours?"

"No, look I know we're about so much more than just sex, but at the same time we have always been very sexual and it's been a huge part of our relationship. It feels good to get confirmation that we can still have true intimacy without the sex."

He nodded slowly. She did have a point. Their emotional intimacy was unchanged, if not improved. Their physical intimacy was of course only a shadow of what it had been when they had an actual sex life, but they still had a lot of physical closeness.

She slumped down by his side and draped her arm around him, sighing heavily. He let his arm reach around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

"Fine" she sighed. "I admit it. This is torturous and excruciating and all the circles of Hell rolled into one."

"But it matters to you" he reminded her. "And who knows, maybe you're right? Maybe the payoff will prove it all worthwhile. But in the future, promise me you'll find your inspiration for our sex life more from Jean M Auel and less from Queen Victoria."

"I promise. If you promise to still marry me, no matter how crazy I go during these last few months."

"You have yourself a deal, Waldorf."

* * *

That's all for today! Take care =)


	13. Dorota

Hello again! I'm kind of on an upload spree at the moment. Since I'm usually working on at least five or six chapters at a time, sometimes I finish several consecutive chapters at once. So here's another one, kind of a semi-inbetweener, hope you'll enjoy the read!

* * *

"Finally!" Blair said to Dorota as she skipped out of bed. "November is finally here. One month and twenty-two days and I'll be Mrs. Chuck Bass!"

"So exciting, Miss Blair" Dorota agreed with a beaming smile. "You will make such lovely bride. Your mother says dress will be ready for final fitting next week."

"Fantastic" Blair said, clapping her hands with excitement. "Now find something really nice for me to wear today. I'm thinking… Prada. Something that will make me look sophisticated yet young. Intriguing but not overly sexy. I'm going to go wash my hair!"

She hurried into her bathroom and took a quick look in the mirror. She had to look perfect today. She and Chuck were meeting a photographer here in her mother's apartment in a few hours, to take pictures for the ad they were putting in the papers to announce their upcoming nuptials.

She could barely contain her excitement. Now it was starting to feel like the wedding was within her reach. For months it had been something in the future, something not quite tangible. But now it was November, the month before her wedding, and things were starting to fall into place. More and more things were being crossed off Camille's list and Blair felt just like a child waiting eagerly for Christmas, seeing it come closer and closer.

"Just two months to go" she squealed to her reflection in the mirror.

-

An hour later she practically skipped down the stairs and spotted Chuck standing there, reading something on his phone. He looked up when he heard her coming, smiled and put his arms around her for a kiss.

"Hey you…" Blair smiled. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"We'll be married in less than two months."

"I know. Even if I hadn't kept track of what date it is, I would have gotten that information off your facebook profile."

"Isn't it exciting?"

He nodded and smiled at her excitement. She grabbed his hand and led him over to the divan, waving to Dorota to bring a binder over to them.

"I want to show you something" she said as she took the binder.

"Let me guess… Seating charts?"

"No. You can't have seating charts until you know who's coming" Blair said. "And we will know in about two weeks, once we've sent out these…"

She handed him the wedding invitations, which had been delivered the night before. Chuck took them, read the top one and frowned.

"The wedding of Charles Bass and Blair Waldorf" he noted with a touch of discontentment. "Does it have to be Charles?"

"Chuck is too informal" Blair said. "And I won't be swearing my fidelity to Chuck in the cathedral. You will only be addressed as Charles during the ceremony, so that seemed appropriate to put on the invites."

"When did we decide on that?"

"Oh don't be silly. '_I take thee Chuck Bass_'? Doesn't sound ceremonial enough."

"No, not that. I meant the invites."

"A few weeks ago. I said it seemed more appropriate to have all the official stuff say Charles rather than Chuck and you mumbled something which I took as an okay. Besides, weren't you the one who said you've considered going by Charles officially now?"

"But you never call me by my actual name."

"That's not true. I called you Charles once last year!"

"I stand corrected" Chuck said with rolling eyes.

"The cards have already been printed" Blair pointed out. "I showed them to you before sending them to the printer."

"You show me a lot of stuff, I can't keep track."

"Well get over it. What's the big deal anyway? A lot of people call you Charles."

"Name one under the age of fifty."

"Your darling stepmother isn't fifty yet."

"Yes, but she's my mother, so of course she'll call me Charles" he said dryly.

"Touché" Blair said, rolling her eyes.

"Miss Blair" Dorota said. "The photographer is here."

"Oh excellent!" Blair chirped and jumped up from her seat. "Let's not discuss the invitations anymore. They've already been printed so what's there to do?"

He shrugged, knowing she was right, and rose to his feet. Blair grabbed his hand and more or less pulled him the last bit up as she walked off towards the approaching photographer.

"This is so exciting!" she chirped.

"You're a child, and this is your own private Christmas…"

"I know!"

He shook his head slowly but couldn't keep from smiling. After three and a half years he still couldn't quite believe that it was him who could make her smile like that. She stopped him, straightened his tie and gave him a peck on the cheek before continuing into the room Dorota had shown the photographer to. Though he'd never admit it, he loved when she fussed over his wardrobe and made sure everything was in proper place. Sometimes though he wished she didn't have to put such attention to detail into everything she did.

-

The photo shoot was over in no time, though it took a while for the couple to agree on which picture should be used for the ad. Once they were agreed Blair grabbed Chuck's arm and brought him upstairs, leaving the rest of the details up to Dorota.

"I'm surprised you're not overseeing his every move while he's still here" Chuck noted as they walked into her bedroom.

"Dorota can handle it."

"You really don't pay that woman enough."

"And you don't even know half the stuff she does around here" Blair noted as they sat down on her bed.

He smiled and put his arms around her, drawing her close to kiss. They sat on the bed in silence for a few minutes, keeping their mouths otherwise preoccupied.

"What are you ever going to do without Dorota?" Chuck mumbled into her ear.

"What do you mean?" Blair asked.

"She works for your mother" Chuck pointed out. "When we get married and create our own home she won't be part of it. She'll still be here."

"Chuck" Blair said firmly. "I have a million things on my mind with the wedding, far too little time to get everything done, and now you're bringing this up?"

"You haven't thought about it? You should start to. You've lived your whole life with Dorota as your sidekick, but now that's not going to be the case anymore."

"Seriously Chuck, I am _this close_ to committing seppuku with a nail file."

He shushed her gently and ran his hand up and down her arm to try and calm her down. He would offer her a massage but she hadn't accepted any such offer for months now, knowing that he would take the opportunity to try and seduce her.

"Don't try to calm me down!" she protested. "I can't believe I haven't thought about this before! This is awful!"

He kept in a smile. He had realized months ago that she would start to panic once it dawned on her that Dorota was part of her mother's household and on a contract. She wouldn't be able to be part of the new home Blair would be forming with Chuck. Dorota was of course aware of this fact. The first time she had seen Chuck after the proposal she had burst out crying the minute Blair left the room, and scolded him for taking Miss Blair away from her. Chuck wasn't sure if it was sweet or disturbing that the maid had the reaction one would have expected from the bride's mother, but he had made a decision then and there.

For the past month he had been in tough negotiations with Eleanor. His plan was to take over the contract Dorota had signed with Eleanor and put her on his payroll instead, and surprise Blair with this news on her birthday in mid-November. He had thought this would be quite easy, but as it turned out, Eleanor was far from willing to let go of her favorite employee. She had put up quite the fight, but Chuck had been relentless, and just two days ago she had finally folded. Chuck had thanked her kindly and hadn't doubted for a second that the rather steep amount he had to pay Eleanor to get to take over the contract would be worth every cent. He couldn't wait for Blair's birthday when he could surprise her with the news.

"Now don't worry about this, my darling" he said and kissed her cheek. "We'll find you a new Dorota. A better one."

"She's not a pet, Chuck. Besides, do you have any idea how long it would take to teach someone new all the things Dorota does?"

"Twenty-one years I should presume."

Her frown got even deeper and she looked genuinely depressed. He put an arm around her and pulled her closer, and she leaned her head on his shoulder with a pout.

"Aw, don't look like that" he said. "We both knew this day would have to come at some point. You can't have Dorota at your beckon call forever."

"I know that" Blair said. "At some point she'd have to retire. But she's got dozens of good years left in her yet."

"Come on, let me cheer you up" he said. "How about a visit to the Gramercy Tavern? We could go and order whatever we didn't order for our reception."

A hint of a smile appeared on Blair's face. When it had finally occurred to her to ask him what food he had ordered for the wedding he had told her he'd rejected all the menus they'd gotten from different caterers, and instead called Gramercy Tavern who had agreed to cater. But the smile was soon gone from her face.

"I'm not hungry. Who's going to bring me food when Dorota's not around?"

"Dorota's only around for like five percent of your meals" Chuck pointed out. "Look, stop obsessing about this and let's go do something fun, just the two of us. How about we dig up my old Nintendo Wii and have a tennis tournament?"

She burst out laughing.

"God, we haven't done that since…"

"Since we obliterated Nate and Serena in that tournament we had back in 2010. Come to think it, maybe we should give them a call and ask them for a rematch."

"Maybe. But no filming me this time!"

"I can't very well film you if I'm playing with you."

"I still haven't forgiven you for filming me when I tried out the boxing" she said and playfully boxed him on the arm.

"That footage is now safely locked away in case I need it for future leverage."

"I should call Markham and include a clause in the prenup forbidding you from using it for such purposes."

He got up and helped her to her feet.

"Or how about this, Waldorf" he said. "We have a movie night tonight, but we start by playing tennis against each other. For each game I win I get to pick a movie, for each game you win you get to pick one."

"How many movies do you plan on including in movie night?" she chuckled. "But okay, you're on. Prepare to watch '_Breakfast at Tiffany's'_, '_Funny Face_', '_Casablanca_'--"

"Au contraire, cherie. _You_ should prepare to watch a couple of '_Terminator_' movies. Maybe throw in the director's cut version of '_Das Boot_' for a break from all the action."

"German war movies I can get onboard with" Blair said. "So to speak. But when it comes to Cameron, unless there's a sinking ship and some blue diamonds involved, I am not interested."

"You'd better hope you won't lose then."

-

That evening they were curled up on their bed at the Empire, just finishing watching "_Funny Face_". Chuck held up the bowl of popcorn to Blair but she shook her head. She had one arm resting around his shoulders and the other absent-mindedly playing with his shirt and didn't feel like lifting either one to grab some popcorn.

"Well that concludes ''_Funny Face_'" Chuck noted. "Ready for '_Terminator_'?"

"How about we take a break first?" Blair suggested.

"Need to go to the bathroom?"

"No…" she said. "Just want to talk."

"About anything in particular?"

"I just can't get over the fact that I will be losing Dorota!"

"You make it sound like she was dying" Chuck sighed. "It's not like you won't get to see her anymore. Besides, how often do you even have her around now?"

"A lot less than I used to" Blair admitted. "But I thought that would change when we got ourselves our own home. I spend so much of my spare time here with you and it just doesn't seem right to bring Dorota along to the Empire, but when we build our own home I thought she would be there with us."

"Can I just say that I'm kind of relieved she won't be there?" Chuck said. "Now that I'll be your husband I was kind of hoping I would be the most important person in your life."

"Oh don't be ridiculous Chuck, you know there's nobody above you… But that doesn't mean I won't miss her. I've been thinking a lot about after we're married, you know, what things we would do and what our lives will entail. I just saw her as a natural part of that. Helping me decorate our place, helping me get ready when we go out to dinner with the people you're doing business with, changing our children's diapers…"

"On the other hand, maybe it's for the better that she won't be there" Chuck suggested. "We could do all those things on our own."

"You want to change a diaper?"

"No I don't. However, I don't want the first words my children learn to be '_mommy_', '_daddy_' and '_Dorota_'."

Blair couldn't help but giggle.

"I think it would be nice if the staff we have at our first _real_ home together were just staff" he continued. "Don't get me wrong, I know Dorota is family to you, but on the other hand getting married means leaving your family of origin and creating a new one."

She nodded slowly, taking his words into consideration. Truthfully he didn't mind one bit if Dorota came along to their new home; if he did he wouldn't have tried so hard to get to take over her contract. He just wanted Blair to think Dorota would be out of the picture, so that she would be all the more surprised on her birthday.

"I do see your point…" she said.

"Additionally, we all know where Dorota's loyalties lie. The moment you and I have a falling out she would consider anything I ask her to do to be a mere suggestion. Which would make the other staff believe that Mrs. Bass is the real head of the household."

"I will be" Blair told him confidently.

"We'll see about that" Chuck smirked.

She contemplated the Dorota situation for a few more minutes in silence. Chuck kept quiet, stroking her hair with one hand and searching for the remote with the other.

"I guess I just have to accept it" Blair eventually sighed. "Marrying you is worth losing Dorota."

He smiled and kissed her head.

"The sacrifices we make for love, huh?" he said.

"Yeah…" she nodded. Then she groaned. "Like watching '_Terminator_'."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review =)


	14. Wedding Party

Another day, another update... =)

* * *

Nate wrapped his coat closer around him and shuddered in the cold winds. He hated November. Why had he agreed when Chuck suggested they walk back from their lunch at a newly opened restaurant at least twenty blocks from the Empire?

"How is everything with Mary?" Chuck asked him.

Mary was Nate's girlfriend of almost a year, though Blair and Serena had both been willing to bet good money on the relationship never lasting past six months. Mary was a second year law student, and barely seemed to have time to lift her nose from her books to spend time with her boyfriend. Blair wasn't overly fond of her, and the feeling was mutual, but since Blair had begun spending less and less nights at the Empire, Mary had begun sleeping there more often. However, now it had been a couple of days since the last time she had been by.

"Everything is good with Mary" Nate said.

"Warn her not to stop by this weekend."

"Do you really think Blair would mind if she was present for her birthday party?"

"Normally I would say no, but she is… high strung these days."

Nate nodded slowly. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Chuck decided to elaborate.

"I'm meeting up with her after my three o'clock meeting. We need to come to some form of conclusion with the whole maids and groomsmen thing."

"Oh."

Chuck cast a glance at Nate, who looked away.

"Don't tell me you're still upset that I didn't ask you to be my best man, Nathaniel."

"It's just… I always thought you would turn to me."

Chuck gave him an understanding nod but wished this didn't have to be such a big deal. They had had this talk twice already and he was starting to feel like Nate was acting too much like a woman about it.

"Look, Nate, you may be my best friend, but Eric is my brother."

"I've been your best friend since… well, forever. I think that trumps being your stepbrother for all of four years."

"It's not just that."

It hadn't been much of a struggle for Chuck to decide on who he wanted as his best man. He had a close relationship with Eric, and he had seemed the better choice. The wedding party was turning into quite the family affair with Serena as maid of honor.

"You may have been the natural choice if the bride had been someone other than your ex-girlfriend" he said to Nate. "But with the history between the three of us being what it is… I thought you would understand."

"That is all water under the bridge" Nate argued.

"She will always be your ex-girlfriend Nathaniel. It doesn't seem right to have you be the best man under those circumstances. I don't want to watch her walking down the aisle, knowing that the guy standing next to me once used to love her, and thought he would marry her. Knowing that _Blair_ thought she would marry him once. Call me selfish, but I want that moment with Blair for myself, and if you are my best man…"

"You know I support you guys. A lot more than I should have to."

"True… But on the other hand you weren't so supportive when the whole thing started."

"Can you blame me?"

"Maybe not, but the fact remains, it's not something I would like to have hanging over us on that day. Eric was someone I could talk to, he has been during my entire love affair with Blair. Plus I know Blair is awfully fond of him, but not in the way she used to be fond of you. You're still in the wedding party; does it really matter that much to you whether or not you stand next to me up at the altar or not?"

"Believe it or not but it does. It's not just about the ceremony, it's about everything that comes with the job."

"This isn't about sentimentality, or you showing us your support. It's about status and hierarchy. Look I've already asked Eric months ago, my mind is made up. Can't you just let this one day be about me and Blair, and let our wishes come before your own?"

"I have had to put up with almost as much crap from Blair as you have during these months" Nate said. "I feel like I've acted as your best man throughout your entire engagement, and I only get the boot on the day it's official."

"So this is about recognition?"

"It's about the fact that we're best friends and I thought that counted for something. Apparently step-blood runs thicker than water."

"Look, you've been very helpful these past months, but on the other hand I can't talk to you about _everything_. When I tried talking about my different ideas for the honeymoon you cut me off and got out of the door in record time."

"Yeah, but--"

"Can we please not argue about this?" Chuck asked.

"Come on, man. You would be pretty pissed if I asked someone else to be my best man when I get married."

"That would depend on the reasons why. I've given you my reasons, take it or leave it. I was however going to ask you to take over arranging the bachelor party. I know Eric's more or less washed his hands of it."

"You should have thought of that before you asked him to be your best man."

"Fair enough, Miss Archibald."

-

"I always thought it was smarter to go with quality over quantity when it came to friends" Blair said later that evening. "Little did I know that way of thinking would come back to haunt me when I got married."

She was seated on the floor, where she and Chuck were having a taco dinner provided by room service. Blair had never liked the idea of tacos, thinking it seemed far too undignified to not only eat with your hands, but to eat something so slobbery. However now it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it, since she was convinced watching someone eat them would be a huge turnoff. Once she had ordered the food Chuck had said he thought it could be rather sexy watching her get food all over herself, which he could help her get rid of. So she had decided they would eat on the floor, to make it both slobbery and uncomfortable.

"I think we're fairly okay with the bridesmaids" she continued and took another bite. "It's you and your antisocial ways that's causing most of the problems."

"I don't see why we can't make do with three bridesmaids and three groomsmen" Chuck said. "Isn't three supposed to be a good luck number?"

"A high society wedding demands at least five" Blair claimed.

"I'd rather settle for three people we have actual relationships with rather than include outsiders."

"They wouldn't be outsiders if you knew how to make friends."

He gave her a grumpy look and threw a piece of cucumber at her. It landed on her lap and she picked it up and ate it, absentmindedly.

"I have Serena as my maid of honor" she began listing. "And I have a whole posse of girls who can jump into a purple dress and be my proper ladies in waiting."

"Time was you would have thought it undignified to have your minions in your bridal party" Chuck commented.

"I know, and part of me still does. On the other hand, better one of them than one of the girls from my sorority. At least the members of my personal army know not to get wasted on jello shots and go off on feministic rants in the middle of dinner."

"I have to tell you, I think it's adorable that you've made Dorota a bridesmaid."

"Yes" Blair sighed. "The last time she will be officially in my service."

Chuck nodded, looking forward to wiping off the sad look that appeared on her face whenever Dorota was mentioned. Her birthday was less than a week away.

"Is used to be my most faithful subordinate" Blair said, musing out loud. "Perhaps I should give her a call. I was also thinking I'd go with one of the twins."

"Which one?"

"That's the beauty of it. I don't have to decide until the wedding. Those two are getting a bit sloppy these days; I'm thinking some good-natured competition for my favors would do us all a world of good."

"My evil little empress."

"Failing that, I'll survey the sorority girls and see if maybe there is a good candidate among them after all. Though the thought of having a sorority sister as a bridesmaid… It's just such a cliché, you know?"

"The trials of a bride to be… What about one of the girls from that study group of yours?"

"Maybe… But that still leaves us with you. Unless you know a place that rents out groomsmen then we might be out of luck."

"Like I said, I'd be more than happy to settle with three."

"Well you've got Eric, Nate and Andy."

Andy was Eric's boyfriend of about a year and a half, and him and Eric had had several double dates with Chuck and Blair. The two of them really enjoyed Andy's company, and Blair had been happy to hear Chuck had asked him to be a groomsman. But even with Andy, Chuck was still two men short.

"Now here's what I was thinking" Blair said and grabbed a napkin. "Serena's still dating Tom Milton. Maybe he could be a groomsman."

"Not that I mind the guy, but he hasn't made that big of an impression on me" Chuck objected and reached for the salsa. "And, he's an engineer."

"But he is the maid of honor's date. And he is the groom's sister's date. Possibly our future brother-in-law."

"They've dated for six months, let's not try and force them into marriage just yet. And if they don't work out, would you really like to look back at our wedding photos and see Tom Milton's face?"

"Well it is a pretty face."

"There's a portiere downstairs who's not too shabby looking either. Want me to ask him to be groomsman number five?"

"Ultimately it's your choice" she said, ignoring his last comment. "But we need an even number. And I want five bridesmaids."

"I'll think about it" he said. "You have salsa on your bottom lip. No don't lick it off, use a napkin."

"I don't mean to be a nag here, but you've got to decide relatively fast. The groomsmen's suits should have been tailored weeks ago! You know how delays in clothing makes me fret."

"It's two more groomsmen, I'm sure we can have two suits tailored in time" he said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Except I know your suit isn't finished yet, and neither are Eric's, Andy's or Nate's."

"Relax."

"I can't. This wedding is like a hydra. As soon as you've settled one issue, two more seems to pop up instead."

"If only there were people you could hire to plan the wedding for you…"

"Chuck we've been over this. There are some things Camille can't help us with. Like deciding who should be in the wedding party. Unless of course we ask her to hire actors or models to skip into a nice suit and stand up there at the altar with you."

"I'll find the damn groomsmen" Chuck sighed.

"Good boy. I know Cyrus is hoping we'll ask Aaron. Maybe that's something to consider?"

"I don't really know the guy. From what you've told me he's quite the loser. From what Serena's told me he will probably have dated half the female guests at the wedding. At the same time."

"I know. But he is my stepbrother. We could call him Plan C."

"Sure."

"So is Nate still grumpy?"

"He'll get over it."

"He has been known to carry a grudge."

"I'd say our friendship has survived worse. You, for instance."

"Well, I must admit," Blair said, "it's not been without it's touch of relief to see the guy love take a hit."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on Charles. We both know that it's a lot more probable that you would cheat with Nate than that I would."

Chuck shrugged a shoulder in acknowledgement and concentrated on trying to finish his third taco without getting most of its contents on the plate.

"Besides," Blair continued, "like you said, he will get over it. And if he doesn't, you could always become BFFs with Tom Milton."

He made a face at her.

"One more word and my next taco will land in your hair, Waldorf."

* * *

I'm expecting a bit of disagreement on the whole best man issue... =) If C&B ever do get married on the show I'm willing to bet Nate will be Chuck's best man, but I wanted to do something a little different, plus with Nate being Blair's ex it could get a bit... awkward. Hope people won't flame me for it =)

Thanks for reading! Aaaaalmost done with the next chapter so it will probably be up tomorrow.


	15. Final Fitting

I'm really overwhelmed by the response I've gotten to this story so far... You people are so encouraing, thanks a million to you all!

I hate to disappoint, especially with the feedback I've gotten so far, but this chapter takes place sometime after Blair's birthday, and thus there won't be a chapter where we get her reaction to Chuck's birthday gift. After the response I got to the Dorota chapter I did consider writing a chapter taking place on her birthday but I just couldn't figure out how to do it. In the end I decided better to not write it at all than to write it badly, and since this chapter (and the next) were already finished I didn't want to postpone updating while I tried to figure something out. You're just going to have to settle for however it went down in your imagination, which was probably a lot better than anything I came up with =)

Okay, enough of my babble. On with chapter fifteen!

* * *

"Blair Waldorf, will you please stand still for two seconds?" Eleanor complained, trying to get a few more needles into the back of the wedding dress.

"Hurry up Mother!" Blair complained. "You've been doing this for a living since the turn of _last_ century. You'd think you'd be able to move faster than this."

"Careful young lady, or the next time a needle stings you it won't be an accident."

Blair sighed but kept still as her mother finished working on the back of the dress. It was the final fitting, and she was properly dressed up more or less the same way she would be on the big day. Her mother had insisted she wore the same underwear that she would wear on that day, the same shoes and also the veil. Blair hadn't planned on wearing a veil at first, but now she had one. She didn't think it would work with the stylish bun she had decided to wear her hair in, but someone, she couldn't even remember who, had talked her into it.

Right now the veil wasn't on her head. It was in Serena's hands, and she was fiddling with it absentmindedly while waiting for her turn to be fitted for her dress. She held the veil up and looked thoughtful.

"I still don't get why you insist on wearing your hear in a bun" she said. "You do that all the time when you dress up. Why not go for something more spectacular? Something… once in a lifetime?"

"Buns are more my style."

"Exactly. You wear them all the time. If I were you I would have gone for something you don't normally wear. Your wedding is the perfect opportunity to dress and look in a fashion you hardly ever would otherwise."

"Why is that?" Blair said. "I don't get why women like to dress up like someone they're not on the day of their wedding. I want to be myself when I get married."

"You could still be yourself with a spectacular hairdo."

"The bun I'm going for is spectacular. Besides, I want my hair properly kept away from my neck."

"Right, I forgot about that particular fetish…"

Eleanor made a face at hearing the word "fetish" spoken about her daughter but then shrugged it off. Then she took a step back and looked thoughtful, eyeing Blair and the dress carefully.

"Walk for me" she said.

Blair obediently walked across the room, turned and walked back. The dress was entirely poof-free, as per the bride and groom's desire, and had only a small train. A compromise which had ended up less than perfect, since the train was too short for Blair to hold it up while dancing, yet it was too long for Eleanor's liking. If she had had her way there would have been no train at all. She had offered no opinion on straps however. Blair had been unable to decide whether or not she wanted straps, sleeves or strapless, and in the end Eleanor had gone with one strap, hidden underneath a string of purple peonies which her poor interns had spent weeks creating in satin. Other than that there were no decorations to the fabric. Neither diamonds nor pearls, or anything else for that matter.

"B you look gorgeous" Serena said.

"Yes, it looks quite alright" Eleanor said, viewing the dress with critical eyes. "But would it have killed you to lose an extra three pounds?"

Blair gave her mother a murderous look and Serena jumped to her feet and hurried over with the veil in an effort to change the subject.

"Let's see the full effect" she said.

"We won't get the full effect without the proper hair and makeup" Blair argued.

"Well close enough."

She struggled a bit before she got the veil into its place. Then she gently straightened it out as best as she could before moving in front of Blair to see the finished product.

"It also needs the little crown to be complete" Blair pointed out.

"Why are you wearing that thing so high up on your head?" Eleanor asked.

"It's so the veil can be moved over her face when she walks down the aisle" Serena said and fumbled a bit to demonstrate.

"Which is the stupidest idea ever" Blair commented. "With this thing covering my eyes I can't see where I'm going."

"But it's a classy touch" Serena argued. "Besides, you don't need to see where you're going. For one, you're going straight ahead. For another, your father will be leading you."

"Fine. But it still prevents me from seeing the look on Chuck's face."

"Good thing you've hired people to film the whole thing from about eleven different angles" Serena said.

"Serena would you stop vomiting sunshine already?" Blair groaned. "I don't like this idea, and that's that."

"But it's such a great touch" Serena argued.

"I'm not too sure about those shoes…" Eleanor sighed. "But what can we do? It's too late now, unless you find another pair that are exactly the same height."

"The shoes are fine Mother" Blair sulked. "Serena get this veil away from my face. Can I step out of this thing already, Mother?"

"Yes" Eleanor said. "As soon as Blair is out of her dress, your turn is up Serena."

"I can't wait to see the finished bridesmaid's dress" Serena said and removed the veil from Blair's head. "I cannot thank you two enough for not making them completely hideous."

"So long as they're uglier than my dress I really don't care too much" Blair said. "In fact, if anything I want the bridesmaids' to have nice dresses. They will be on a lot of photos, and I want to limit the amount of ugly on my wedding day to an absolute minimum. Which is why it's really unfortunate that the Humphreys RSVPd 'yes'."

Serena gave her a light smack on the arm before helping her get out of the dress. Once Blair was undressed Eleanor took the gown and put it away carefully in a garment bag. She would be finishing this one later, here at home, rather than bringing it in to her studio.

Blair went to put some clothes on while Serena changed into her dress. To Serena's disappointment Eleanor and Blair had gone with a more chaste design, to make the dresses proper for wearing in the cathedral. The purple fabric, same as what had been used for the peonies on the wedding gown, covered the shoulders and had only a modest boat neck. Serena didn't think it was the best look for her, but she knew better than to question what Eleanor had designed.

"Looks good" Blair said when she reappeared. "I like the sparkles in the skirt. They make the dresses pop without competing with my dress."

"I can't believe you agreed to sparkles in the bridesmaids' dresses when they were excluded from yours" Serena commented.

"Mine looks better without them" Blair said, shrugging a shoulder.

She sat down on the divan and grabbed a macaroon from the trey Dorota had set out earlier that morning. Eleanor gave her a frown while putting some needles into Serena's dress.

"Blair, please, you have to watch your figure. The dress is tailor made! Fluctuate in weight and you may not be able to wear it."

Blair looked sullen and put the macaroon down.

"I managed to stay in the proper weight for Fashion Week" she mumbled under her breath, casting her mother an angry look.

"I talked to Camille this morning" Serena said. "She wants to know how much of this purple fabric we have left."

"That depends on what she plans on using it for" Eleanor said.

"Shirts for the groomsmen."

Blair couldn't help but laugh.

"That's got Chuck written all over it. Purple shirts? Mother swear to me that you haven't agreed to let him wear a purple _suit_."

"Of course I haven't" Eleanor sniggered. "Charles will have to limit his eccentric side on the day he marries my daughter. Especially since my wedding gown will be on the front page of several newspapers. Nobody will pay attention to the dress if the groom wears a purple suit. Serena, I don't think your dress needs any further fitting, you can change out of it. Blair, when will the rest of your bridesmaids be here?"

"After lunch" Blair said. "Except Dorota of course. Given that she's now on _my_ payroll, I can call her and have her come over here whenever you'd like."

"How is that any different from how things were before you took over her contract?" Eleanor asked. "Honestly, the only reason I let Charles convince me is that the woman has been more loyal to you than she has me ever since you were in kindergarten."

Blair smiled contently and grabbed her phone to text Dorota while Serena went to change out of her dress. Eleanor stepped out of the room and Blair quickly snatched a macaroon and wolfed it down as fast as she could. There was a limit to how many of her favorite things she could give up, even if it was temporarily, and even if it was for her wedding. It was bad enough that she no longer dared to order her favorite chicken from the Empire menu because there was too much cream in the sauce.

Serena came back and sat down next to Blair, absentmindedly grabbing a macaroon. Blair shot her a death glare, hating the fact that nobody scolded Serena on what she could or couldn't eat in order to fit into the tailored dress come late December. Not that Blair hadn't always suspected that Serena's body was immune to calories, but the fact that no one said anything implied that Serena possessed a self control which Blair herself lacked.

"Enjoying the pastries?" she said testily, in a tone which perfectly hid the fact that she herself had just eaten one.

"Oh! Sorry Blair! I wasn't thinking."

"Well you've already taken three bites from it, you might as well finish it. But show up fat to my wedding and I'll seat you next to that handsy senator who hasn't updated is wardrobe since the seventies."

"Atkins from now on, I promise."

Blair gave her a smile that didn't get close to reaching her eyes. She wasn't in the best of moods and the prospect of spending the afternoon watching her mother complete the dress fittings for the bridesmaids didn't help brighten her spirits.

"You know what?" Serena said. "Why don't you help me out a bit? I started thinking last night about what I want to say in my maid of honor speech and frankly I could use a little help with my inspiration."

"Sounds like your speech will be coming straight from the heart" Blair remarked dryly.

"I just want to pick your brain, and your heart, a little" Serena said, gabbing a notepad from the table and fishing out a pen from her purse. "See I got to thinking that there are a lot of generic stuff you can say about love, but ultimately the reasons why we love someone can be very diverse. The reasons why Dan loved me don't have to be the same as why Tom loves me."

"Tom said he loved you?"

"Well… no" Serena admitted. "But I'm hoping he's going to say it at the wedding. Wouldn't that be romantic?"

"I'm not sure" Blair said, wrinkling her nose. "I haven't had the best experience with relationship landmarks at other people's weddings."

"Well anyway, what I was thinking was, there must be a lot of things you love about Chuck that I wouldn't notice, or even know about at all. If you could tell me, like, five things you love about him I could use that in my speech."

"So now I'm basically writing my maid of honor's speech?"

"Just tell me the first five things that come into your mind" Serena said, getting a bit impatient.

"Fine…" Blair said, thinking it over. "I love his fierce loyalty. He may be ruthless, but if he's on your side then pity the fool who goes up against you."

"Okay…" Serena said, writing it down.

"I love the way he looks at me, like I'm some ethereal creature who's too good for this sinful earth."

Serena snorted and Blair gave her a look.

"What? You asked me to name five things."

"Yeah, but… that was pretty lame."

"I'm not saying I _am_ that, I'm saying that he looks at me like I am. It's called love, maybe someday you'll experience a guy looking at you that way."

Serena made a face and stuck out her tongue at her.

"What else?" she then asked.

"I love… the way he goes '_mmm_' in bed."

"Blair!" Serena whined. "I did not need to hear that. Yuck. How many times have we been over this? If you want to talk about having sex with Chuck then talk to someone else. I know you love him, but the thought of sleeping with him is still disgusting."

"You asked for the first things that popped into my head."

"Okay, first five things I might actually dare to mention at your wedding reception."

Blair sighed and gave it some more thought.

"I love how he knows what I want and need before even I do."

"Come on Blair, what did I just say?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm not talking about sex. Though that does apply to the bedroom too… I mean how he does that in everyday life. Just look at what he did for my birthday."

"I'm not so sure I find that endearing" Serena mumbled. "Buying Dorota from your mother is a little too… '_Uncle Tom's Cabin_'."

"How would you know? You've never even read '_Uncle Tom's Cabin_'" Blair snorted. "Besides, he took over the contract, it's not like he branded her CB with a branding iron like she were livestock."

"Okay, well what else?"

"I love how just the thought of him can make me smile, no matter how bad my day has been" Blair said, a smile appearing on her face.

"Come on B, I need something less generic. I could have thought of that last one myself, seeing as that's usually what defines being in love."

Blair shot her an annoyed look. She thought this whole exercise was pointless. If Serena couldn't figure out anything to say on her own then she could keep her mouth shut altogether. She felt quite disappointed in her best friend, having been looking forward to hear what Serena would have to say on their wedding day. Apparently, her relationship with Chuck was mostly white noise to Serena.

Her phone rang and she sighed before she answered it. If this was Camille or one of the bridesmaids she might snap.

"Hello" she said, keeping her fingers crossed that it wasn't someone calling about something wedding related.

"How's the fitting going?" Chuck's voice asked on the other end.

"Apparently I'm three pounds too fat for my mother's liking, but thankfully she is the David Copperfield of dressmakers, so she will be able to save the day."

"Too fat? Please, I have cufflinks that weigh more than you do. Anyway, Camille called."

Blair groaned and grabbed another macaroon, indifferent to whether or not it would prevent her from fitting into her dress.

"If it's another crisis then I don't want to hear about it" she whined.

"I wouldn't call it a crisis… She brought to my attention that we need ushers in the cathedral. People who can greet the guests and show them to their proper place."

"Who wouldn't know their proper place? Everyone knows which side is the bride's and which side is the groom's."

"Maybe true… But I see a golden opportunity to put some of your minions to work. Come over here when you're done and we'll talk it over."

"I long for the day when our conversations are more about what happened during the day, and who wore what to the latest event."

"You're only saying that because you're exhausted" he said. "If I know you, you will be denying having ever said that as soon as you've gotten some rest and a macaroon or two in you."

"I _have_ gotten a macaroon… or two… in me this morning."

"I'm going to be staying in all day today, minus one excursion after lunch, so just stop by whenever you're done."

"At the rate this is going, that will be just in time for our ruby anniversary" Blair sighed and hung up the phone.

"Seriously Blair, stop eating those!" Eleanor scolded, coming back into the room in time to see Blair finish her second macaroon.

"Mother I have to go" Blair said, standing up promptly. "Chuck just called. Big emergency with something St. Patrick's related."

Serena gave her a confused look, having understood enough from the conversation to know that whatever he had called about, it wasn't life or death important.

"You can't leave" Eleanor objected. "You're supposed to help me out with these fittings, and tell me if you think everything is looking the way you want it to."

"All the dresses look the same" Blair pointed out. "Serena can stay and help you out. I'm needed elsewhere."

"But B…" Serena tried.

"Can't talk, have to go" Blair said and hurried towards the door.

She was on the elevator as soon as humanly possible and Serena gave Eleanor an apologetic look while the mother of the bride sighed theatrically and rolled her eyes.

"The moment it's not directly about her she's out the door" Eleanor griped. "Well Serena, it looks like you're on pin-holding duty."

Serena faked a smile and let her mind play a little game called "Maim the Bride" while she cast a glance at the large pincushion on the table.

-

"Hi!" Blair said, walking up to Chuck who was reading a newspaper on the couch.

"That was fast" he noted. "I thought you said it would take the rest of the day to get the fittings done?"

"I escaped" she told him. "There's only so much a girl can take and spending an entire day watching my mother get bridesmaids' dresses fitted while nagging me about my appearance is not something I'm willing to suffer through at present. So I left her with a stand-in. She can bother Serena instead. S deserves it."

"I thought you wanted to observe the fittings."

"Yeah… But I'm just not in the mood for it today. The only fun part was getting my dress fitted. Mother has done a wonderful job with it. Hopefully you'll find me pretty."

"You could wear a leotard and I'd still think you were the prettiest bride of all time" he said, putting his newspaper aside.

"Now there's a theory I'd love to put to the test…"

He laughed and gave her a kiss. She sat down on the couch next to him.

"Now about what Camille said… Ushers for the cathedral."

"I'm sorry, but doesn't the cathedral provide those for you?" Blair asked. "And even if they normally don't, can't they just ring up a few altar boys and have them explain to any idiots coming to the wedding that right is this way and left is that way?"

"Perhaps, but like I said on the phone, you have a whole group of girls who can make themselves useful by showing people to their seats. You're not planning on having all of them help you get ready are you?"

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Only the bridesmaids."

"So why not put the rest of them to good use? See how well you've trained your army of lapdogs."

"Why do you sometimes refer to my girl squad like they are mindless drones?" Blair asked. "Not that I don't kind of think they are, but when you say it it sounds like they are a useless squad of brainwashed bimbos."

"Now I'm saying then can be a _useful_ squad of brainwashed bimbos."

"I'll give it some thought" Blair sighed. "So what else have you been up to today?"

"Not much… Enjoying my first real day off in weeks. It's been one thing after another here at the hotel recently, and you know I'm trying to get my hands on a new place to open up a club. So far prospects are looking dim."

"Why not just buy another hotel?" Blair suggested.

"Right. Well with the money I'm spending on the honeymoon, and the fact that we're going to get a place of our own next spring, I'm thinking it's not a good time to start buying entire buildings."

"Perhaps you're right… But do you have to open up a new club _now_? Why not wait until all this other stuff is taken care of?"

"I've been working on an idea for months" he said. "It's finally gotten to the stage where it would be worth actually trying to pull it off. I don't feel like waiting for another couple of months to do so."

"Well if this really is your first day off in weeks then why are you wasting it worrying about ushers for the cathedral?" Blair asked, stroking his arm. "There must be something you would rather be doing."

"I'm heading over for a shiatsu after lunch."

"Wow, glad to see you still know how to live it up" Blair said sarcastically. "I have a better idea."

"You know I don't enjoy shopping nearly as much as you do."

"Who said anything about shopping? Do you realize how long it's been since we went out clubbing? And I don't mean went down to Gimlet for drinks, I mean real clubbing. Trying to hit all the great spots in one night, having our favorite drinks made by someone other than Horace, dancing until my feet are so sore you have to carry me…"

"Ironically, I don't think I've done that once since I turned twenty-one."

"Well let's do that tonight then" Blair said and patted his shoulder. "We'll have Nate call Mary, see if she's up for it, Serena can bring Tom, we can make a night out of it."

"Sure, why not?"

"Great" Blair grinned, jumping to her feet. "God, it feels great to be going out doing something _normal_ for a person our age. A night without wedding planners, business deals or going to bed at ten o'clock."

He grinned as she skipped towards their bedroom to raid her closet for something to wear, even though it was nearly ten hours till they would be heading out the door. She was right. They had been acting a little too grown-up lately. A wild night out might be just what they needed to remind themselves that even with their wedding coming up, they were still in their early twenties and held a black belt in partying.

He got up and walked into the bedroom. He stopped and laughed when he saw her, dancing around in her closet to the tune of '_Girls Just Wanna Have Fun_', which was blasting from the speakers. She noticed him and grinned, starting to sing along in a loud voice, and began to toss outfits at him which he put on the bed for her to examine later. No matter how often he saw her dance around in her closet like this, singing along to whatever tune her iPod was currently providing them with, sometimes with Serena dancing right next to her, he never grew tired of seeing it. It was one of the things he loved about her.

* * *

Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow (probably)!


	16. Meeting the Priest

Once again I have to disappoint. I didn't write a chapter detailing Chuck and Blair's night out clubbing... and honestly didn't think anyone would want to read about that until I logged on this afternoon and saw the reviews on my last chapter. If this keeps up I might have to do a couple of "appendix" chapters later on, with the stuff I've left out that people wanted to read about...

This chapter was written fairly early on, but I didn't think it fitted in the story until later in the timeline. Perhaps not one of the more interesting installments, but one that felt necessary to include since this is about the steps from proposal to marriage. This one might have factual errors, I was too lazy to do any real research and went with what my memory claimed was how catholic weddings tend to go down. If I'm wrong anywhere, I apologise. I really should learn to do proper research, but sometimes I leave that out in the interest of saving time.

Enough about my vices! On with the story =)

* * *

Blair took Chuck's hand and smiled nervously as they stepped inside the office of the priest who was going to be performing the ceremony. She was surprised at how calm Chuck looked, in fact he looked almost bored, unlike her. She was nearly trembling. There was something quite nerve-wrecking about coming face to face with the person who would be making them husband and wife. She had said as much to Chuck in the limo on the way over, but all he had had to say about it was that technically they became married when the paperwork went through, and not when they were declared so by an officiator.

The officiator in question smiled slightly at them. He was a bit younger than Blair had expected him to be, which she hoped was a good thing. In her mind catholic priests fell into one of two categories. Either they were incredibly kind, gentle old fellows, or they were merciless men who frowned upon anyone who didn't follow scripture to a T. And for some reason she believed that the older the priest was, the more likely he was to fall into the second category. Her versions of catholic priests also had every single one be at least sixty years of age.

"Mr. Bass, Miss Waldorf, please have a seat" the priest in front of them said. "I am Father Matt."

Blair made her smile a tad sweeter and shook his hand before sitting down and crossing one leg over the other. Chuck shook the man's hand as well and took a seat in the chair next to Blair's.

"So, you are to be married this December" Father Matt concluded and glanced at his calendar. "The twenty-second. Just in time for Christmas. We don't do a lot of weddings that time of year, but the ones we do are pretty special. Is Christmas very meaningful to you?"

"Extremely" Blair said and placed a hand on Chuck's arm before he could pipe up. "We just love Christmas. Everything about it, really. Especially, well, the religious stuff."

"Miss Waldorf, you are not a baptized catholic" Father Matt noted with a quick glance in his papers.

"That's right, I'm not. But my fiancé is. And I'm a confirmed protestant, so at least I'm not of an entirely different religion. And I have agreed to raise any future children in the same sense my husband would."

Chuck smiled slightly. Trust Blair to find a clever way to tell the priest what he wanted to hear without actually lying.

"Seeing as you're not a catholic woman, the matrimony won't necessarily be considered a sacrament" Father Matt said.

"We can live with that" Blair said.

"Can you also live with all the other aspects that come with a catholic marriage?" the priest asked. "For example, by catholic law, once the partners consummate the marriage it can only be dissolved by death."

"That is the whole idea" Chuck commented.

Father Matt went on for a while about the meaning of marriage from a catholic point of view, while Blair listened intently and Chuck's mind drifted to the business meeting he had scheduled for tomorrow. He had little to no interest in the religious aspects of matrimony. He only snapped back when the priest turned to legalities, something he had an easier time understanding.

"Do you have the marriage license with you?" Father Matt asked.

Chuck opened up his briefcase and grabbed the paperwork, handing it over to the priest. Father Matt looked it over, then nodded and looked up at the betrothed couple.

"If it's all the same with you I will hold on to this for now" he said. "You will be given it back on your wedding day, with my signature on it."

Blair looked a touch nervous at handing the license over to the priest but Chuck nodded at him to go ahead and take it. He had obtained an extra copy in case something would happen to the first one.

"Now, as for the actual ceremony…"

Blair sat up straight and Chuck found himself amused at how she looked. Her whole demeanor reminded him of when they had been in school and she had been at her most efficient as a student. It almost surprised him that she didn't whip out one of her notebooks, which had almost become her trademark at this point, to take notes.

"You will be taken through the whole process at the rehearsal" Father Matt said. "But there are some points we should discuss today."

"Will there be a lot of prayers involved?" Chuck asked, hoping they could be kept to a minimum.

"Not to worry" the priest said, misunderstanding him completely. "Your union will be prayed for. There's the opening prayer, but we don't have to touch upon that today, and the Prayer of the Faithful of course. What we should talk about first however is the reading of scripture."

Chuck made a disapproving face and cast a glance at Blair. She smiled sweetly at him. He didn't see the point of having someone read out loud from the Bible, preferring readings from non-religious sources, but obviously there would be no point in protesting. Besides, Blair would probably get furious with him if he said or did anything that might imply that he wasn't a devout catholic. He knew it had been a bit of a struggle for her to get them to agree to officiate a wedding where only one party had been baptized catholic.

"I sent you a number of examples of which texts are traditionally read at weddings, Miss Waldorf" the priest went on. "Have you given any thought to it?"

"Yes, I have" Blair said and to Chuck's amusement produced a notebook from her purse. "I've written down which ones I want."

She tore out a page and handed it to the priest. He took a look and nodded with approval.

"Excellent choices."

"Which ones did you choose?" Chuck asked in a whisper.

"I suggest we start out with Ecclesiastes 4:9-12" Father Matt said.

"Excellent" Blair agreed.

Chuck gave her a nudge and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. She gave him a slight wave that told him she would fill him in later. He had left everything that even touched upon religion up to her, but it was a bit annoying not to have gotten a say in what texts would be read during the ceremony.

"And have you decided on psalms?" Father Matt went on.

"No, not yet" Blair admitted, and smiled ingratiatingly. "There are so many great ones to choose from."

"Send me an e-mail when you've decided" the priest mumbled and made a note in his papers. "Okay then. Second reading. Corinthian?"

"Perfect."

Chuck tuned out again, seeing as how they seemed to be talking a language he didn't even understand. He had been to weddings before and had a pretty good idea of how the ceremony was done, but all this talk of Biblical verses and psalms went right over his head. He let Blair and the priest discuss gospel readings to their hearts' content while he settled for voicing his agreement to whatever Blair had decided on.

"Once the readings are done we get to the actual rite of marriage" Father Matt finally said.

Blair gave Chuck a discreet nudge and he offered a smile and his attention for another couple of minutes. Father Matt gave them a brief rundown of what would happen in which order, information Chuck realized he could probably have snoozed through given that it was pretty much the same as any other wedding he had been to, and they would be going over it again during the rehearsal.

"About the vows…" Blair said.

"Oh don't worry" Father Matt smiled. "A lot of people worry about remembering them but that's not a problem. I will be reading them aloud and you repeat after me."

Blair opened her mouth to say something else but the priest went on talking before she could get a word out.

"Now, I can do the readings for you, but most people like to have a family member, or someone in the wedding party do the honors. Have you given any thought to this? What we're looking at is one or two people reading the two passages, and perhaps someone leading the Prayer of the Faithful."

"That last one won't be necessary" Chuck said.

"And we'll get back to you about the other readings" Blair filled in. "We need to talk it over… But we'll be asking members of the party to do them."

Chuck let his mind wander again, trusting Blair to nudge him whenever he needed to pay attention. Father Matt went on for quite a while talking to Blair, and occasionally to Chuck as well.

"Now," Father Matt eventually said, "why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves, and your relationship?"

Blair gave Chuck an excited grin but he couldn't keep a frown off his face. Why would their priest need to know about their relationship? This wasn't going to be some form of counseling session, was it?

"I always like the couples I wed to tell me a bit about their love" the priest said, seeing his frown. "It allows me to personalize the ceremony."

"Well it all started with a limo--" Chuck began, leaning forward in his seat.

"Chuck and I have known each other most of our lives" Blair cut him off, giving him a stern look. "I was actually involved with… someone else, for a lot of that time. Then that relationship ended, Chuck was there for me and we ended up realizing we belonged together."

She went on for a while, giving the priest a very PG version of some of the events that lead to their relationship, and some of the more memorable incidents they had experienced since they got together. Chuck tried to speak a few times but Blair kept cutting him off, not wanting him to say anything inappropriate. When they were finally done talking Father Matt led them from his office into the actual cathedral.

"You are welcome to take a look around" he said before walking off. "But find me before you leave."

Blair gasped and grabbed both Chuck's hands in hers as she looked around with wide eyes. Chuck was less thrilled, and wondered why she looked at the place like she had never set foot there before.

"Look Chuck" she beamed. "Isn't it perfect?"

"Not the word I'd choose."

"What do you mean? It's lovely."

"I'm uncomfortable enough being here on any regular day" he said. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I would definitely have preferred a location which could help me relax on the big day, not make me more uncomfortable."

"But you agreed to St. Patrick's because you love me" Blair said and gave him a kiss. Then she looked terrified. "Oh! Maybe we're not supposed to kiss in a church!"

"I will french you towards the end of the ceremony, whether Catholicism approves or not" he told her.

"You will not! Or at least you will do it discreetly."

He laughed slightly and put an arm around her waist. They both looked around and tried to imagine themselves there, only about a month from now. In Blair's mind the place was covered with flowers and candles. Chuck on the other hand was more concerned with how uncomfortable it looked to kneel in front of the altar.

"Hey Blair… What was with that incredibly bland retelling of our love life?" he asked.

"I had to tone it down! You can't very well tell a catholic priest who's going to marry you that you're getting married thanks to one party taking the other's virginity in the back of a freaking limo. After the latter party did a striptease. In public."

"So instead you told him something that doesn't really represent us at all?"

She ignored him and went back to her daydream about how the church would look come the big day. He decided not to push the subject further. It was far too easy to get into a real fight over it. Nowadays they fought easily, both thanks to stress and sexual frustration. It was better to just let some things slide.

"Do you want to walk around a bit?" Blair asked. "Get a better look?"

"I've been here before, I'm familiar with the place."

"Then should we find Father Matt? This has taken longer than I anticipated and I'm starving. What do you say we get out of here and discuss who we should ask to read the passages over some sushi?"

"I think we should ask Nate to read one" Chuck said and walked with her over towards the priest. "He's still upset over the whole best man thing. He might annoy me less if he gets to play some more active role. Not to mention he is my best friend."

"Sounds good to me" Blair said. "How about Serena do the other one? Give the whole thing a bit of a Non-Judging Breakfast Club touch."

He chuckled at her use of the name she had once coined for their foursome. She was the only one out of the four of them who ever used it, but secretly the other three sometimes thought of themselves in those terms as well. Mostly thanks to Blair's usage of it.

"Well then" he said. "I believe that concludes deciding who should do the readings. No need to discuss it over food."

"Let's still get sushi" Blair said and kissed him on the cheek.

-

"I cannot believe we have to use the catholic vows" Blair complained that night as they were getting into bed. "How many restrictions do these people have to put on us? We can't dress however we want, can't say whatever we want…"

"Suit yourself for insisting upon a catholic ceremony" Chuck said and arranged his pillows. "I would have been perfectly fine with a non-religious officiator. Or a protestant priest, if you insisted upon a member of the clergy."

"I didn't care much for a catholic ceremony per se" Blair argued and turned off her nightstand lamp. "I wanted St. Patrick's Cathedral, not necessarily the men and women who work there. I didn't know there were so many restraints."

"Well don't look at me. I never wanted St. Patrick's to begin with. But what's wrong with the catholic vows? You had your heart set on writing our own?"

She nodded and scooted closer to him in the bed. He turned off his light and rolled over on his left side, draping his arm around her.

"To tell the truth, I'm kind of relieved to be off that hook" he said. "I wouldn't know what to write."

"What are you talking about? You give me little speeches of love every now and again, and they are absolutely incredible. Don't tell me Chuck Bass can't write decent wedding vows. I've been looking forward to hearing yours."

"Those little speeches you speak of are all in private" Chuck argued.

"So?"

"So, it's a lot different to be doing it in front of however many thousands we ended up inviting to the ceremony. Those soliloquies are for your ears only. They're private."

"So you're okay with just rattling off some unimaginative blah-blah that someone thought up a millennia or two ago?"

"They do say it all. Don't you think?"

"Hmm, I guess you might have a point."

"Additionally, those were the vows our parents gave each other when they got married. And our grandparents before them, and their parents before them. It's a nice touch of history."

"And not even true. My parents had a protestant wedding, like all my other ancestors, so I'm not so sure the vows are the same. Besides, my parents got divorced. By the way Bass I googled the catholic vows while you were in the shower. I am _not_ vowing to obey you."

"Pity."

"I'm serious. You may only be religious when it suits you to be, but I at least have some form of faith, and I refuse to stand in front of God on the most important day of our relationship and make a vow I have no intention of keeping."

"I don't think the catholic vows necessarily entail the bride vowing to obey the groom. There are variations, if memory serves. But, now, just to be clear, does that leave me with the option of ignoring any particular vow of my choosing? Like for instance vowing to forsake all others?"

She made an offended noise and smacked away the arm draped across her.

"That is the worst thing I have heard you say in… in years!"

"Come on Blair. You know I was only joking."

"Well it wasn't funny. You and your damn libido…"

"Frankly it's no wonder if I start making jokes like this when you refuse to satisfy my needs. You can rest assured I would never cheat, but I won't say I'm not tempted to throw myself over any woman who enters my line of sight at this point."

"Get a hold of yourself!" Blair snarled. "You had best get used to going without sex, because when I have our children I will be out of the game for a while once their born. And if you think we're not having sex right now, then you just wait and see."

With that she turned on her left side with a huff, facing away from him. He yawned and turned over on his right side, not even attempting to figure out what her last comment was supposed to mean, and tried as best as he could to ignore his aching desire and go to sleep.

* * *

Thus endeth another chapter. I hope Chuck didn't come across as blazé about the wedding, what I was aiming for was that he just doesn't care much about the specifics (especially not the religious aspects), he just wants to be married. Whether or not I succeeded is up to you to decide =)


	17. Shopping

With the last chapter being more on the "serious" side, this one is a bit lighter. And, something of an in-betweener, though not as much as chapter eleven.

As always, thanks to all you people who review. You make my day =) Please don't hesitate to point out stuff you think could be improved upon.

* * *

"Is this your new way of torturing me?" Chuck asked, following Nate into an exclusive lingerie store. "You have other friends. Bring one of them."

"None of my other friends have your frighteningly keen eye for lingerie" Nate said. "Our one year anniversary is next Sunday and I want something special."

"I could have given you tips over the phone. Or you could trust yourself to know what turns you on."

"Consider this payback then" Nate said. "You owe me. I've followed you like five times to shop for lingerie for my ex-girlfriend."

"I should have known that would come back to bite me in the ass."

Once inside Chuck took a quick glance around and hated Nate more than he ever had before. Being denied by his woman was more frustrating than he could put into words, and when he saw the endless displays of women's underwear all he could think of was how Blair would look in, well, everything he saw. On one hand it was a good fodder for fantasy, but on the other he was incredibly tired of having to handle business on his own.

"Make it quick, Nathaniel" he said. "Find what you're after and let's get out of here. Back outside, where it's nice and cold."

"Nice selection" Nate said, ignoring him completely and taking a good look around. "I can't believe I've never been to this store before."

"You've been here with me three times" Chuck pointed out. "They have the best lingerie in the city."

"Really? I don't recall. Well, you would know."

Nate walked over to a clothing rack and lifted up the first thing his hands got a hold of and held it up.

"What do you think?"

"Put it away" Chuck sighed.

"Come on man, help me out here. What do you think I should go for? Lace or leather?"

"Definitely lace, don't be an idiot. Leather is fun for play, but for a romantic anniversary? Besides, she might not appreciate being handed something that suggests playing rough, unless that's her kink. On the other hand, she is a law major…"

"Huh. Suppose you're right. Two piece or one piece?"

"One piece."

"Satin or no?"

"For the love of God Nathaniel, know your own sexuality" Chuck groaned. "I'm kind of frightened that you seem to think I would know your desires better than you do."

"I'm open for anything here. That's what I want you here for, to tell me what I should or shouldn't get. An expert's opinion to guide me."

"This is all about getting back at me for asking Eric to be my best man, isn't it?" Chuck sighed. "Fine, I'll do my best, but again, make it snappy. Are you going for romantic or hot?"

"That has to be two different things?"

"Fine, let me rephrase. Romantic or kinky?"

"Romantic."

"Then like I said before, no leather. Also no schoolgirl outfits, nothing that says animal, and absolutely nothing made for role-play."

"See? Always good to have an expert."

Chuck gave him a look that could kill but Nate didn't see it. He was busy looking at a teddy Chuck was far too familiar with. Blair had added one to her wardrobe the week after their engagement, when they were still having sex.

"What about color?" Nate asked, putting the teddy back.

"Whatever color you like" Chuck sighed. "Don't make this more drawn-out than it needs to be, Nathaniel."

"Seriously. Is pink too cute?"

"Why don't you hassle one of the clerks instead? They get paid to help idiots figure out what gets their rocks off."

"Come on man. You're just being a buzz kill because you're not getting any. If there was the slightest chance you would get to see Blair in any of these pieces anytime soon you would be much more devoted to this than even I am."

"It's not devotion when you haven't got a clue what you want" Chuck argued. "And I could easily get to see Blair in any of these later on today. Only, I would only get to look, not touch, which is the problem."

"For what it's worth, I think this whole thing you're doing is romantic" Nate said. "You're going to appreciate your sex life so much more when you get things going again."

"Spoken like a guy who had to tell himself that since his girlfriend refused to put out during the first three months."

"No, spoken like someone who appreciates romance."

"Romance sucks. At least this kind of warped romance. Want to do something romantic? How about something that shows how well you know your partner. And Blair knows me well enough to know that I don't like having to take cold showers every damn day. Hell, everyone in New York knows that about me."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Triteness makes a guy look stupid."

Chuck walked over to a shoe stand full of footwear that were supposed to be erotic. He picked up a red slipper which looked like it had been designed for a kinked-out reenactment of '_the Wizard of Oz_' and missed the days when he could feel free to be as perverted as he pleased. He cast a glance at Nate who was admiring a mermaid inspired bra.

"Maybe you should get these" he said and motioned towards the shoes. "Clearly this is you not being in Kansas anymore."

"I like lingerie, I just don't like using it too much" Nate said. "My tastes may be simpler than yours, but I don't need to see my partner decked out in something erotic every time we have sex. I've never actually bought lingerie."

"Nobody needs lingerie every single time" Chuck objected. "But what's wrong with seeing her in something nice? Something you know will be fun to remove… If you don't like it, then why are you even getting it to begin with?"

"I didn't say I don't like it. I just said I don't like it nearly as much as you do."

"Nobody does. The store manager here sent me a Christmas card last year."

Nate made a face that was a mixture between shocked and disgusted and then shook his head and picked up another piece from the rack.

"Hey what do you think of this one?"

"That's an old model. Blair has that in black."

"You could have stopped after the first sentence."

"You deserve to suffer for dragging me here."

"Stop whining and make yourself useful."

Chuck made a face but obediently walked over and started going through the selection Nate had begun to look through.

"Nate this is all last season" he said. "The least you could do for yourself and Mary is to look at the latest stuff."

"How am I supposed to know what's new and not?" Nate argued.

"Point taken, you're a lingerie n00b. Okay, if you're really serious about this…"

"I am."

"… then I will use my… status as a frequent customer here to lend you a hand. But only, and I do mean _only_, because someone should get to enjoy the finest lingerie in town, and while there are about a hundred people I would nominate above you, I could use all the goodwill I can get at the moment."

He walked off towards the register, Nate in tow. He nodded to the store clerks he passed on his way over, and leaned casually on the counter with a strained smile.

"Alice… How nice to see you" he said to the woman behind the register.

"Bass!" she exclaimed. "Long time no see. Here I was beginning to think you had abandoned us for some other underwear haven."

"Not exactly. But starving doesn't get any easier by hanging around a gourmet restaurant, watching people eat lobster and filet mignon."

"I thought you were getting married" Alice said with a confused frown. "Don't tell me you've hit a dry spell already. That's not supposed to happen until you've been married for a few years or so."

"Trust me, if it was a dry spell this would be the first place I would look to… get things humid again."

"Hi" Nate said to Alice, waving awkwardly. "Chuck can we get off your sex life, or lack thereof, and get back to mine?"

"Alice, meet Nathaniel. My pet 'throw pearls for swine' project. While I may not be privileged enough to get to enjoy your selection at the moment, my boy here is more fortunate, but regrettably he doesn't know his Picasso from a street painter. Care to lend a hand? Show us your finest selection."

"On hangers" Nate emphasized.

"Your lack of passion for this makes me sad" Chuck sighed.

"Hey man, I'm just trying to spare you."

"Follow me" Alice chirped and gave them a flirty smile.

She walked off towards a door Nate hadn't noticed before, and Chuck followed her without hesitation. Nate wondered for the fiftieth time what he had gotten himself into, and hesitantly followed.

"This is where they keep their prime selection" Chuck told Nate. "Available only to… premium customers."

"Isn't that a bit counter-productive?" Nate wondered. "Wouldn't they want to be able to sell their best stuff to everyone?"

"What's the point of being a premium customer if it doesn't give you access to a premium selection?" Chuck argued. "Now just drop the prim and proper act, there's no point in obtaining it in front of a guy who's seen you get a lap dance, and try to tap in to your inner pervert."

"Promise me to never mentor my future children" Nate said.

"Nathaniel, you are about to encounter a whole new world of lingerie… So stop griping and be grateful that I agreed to tag along."

Nate gave Alice an awkward smile, feeling horribly out of place, but obediently stepped inside the room and sat down on the large couch.

"Now, after this I owe you no more favors" Chuck said.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Alice smiled at them and walked around a corner. She returned seconds later with a rack of lingerie, and Nate leaned forward in his seat. He had to admit, this was something out of the ordinary.

-

Blair opened her dorm room door two days later and smiled at Nate. He looked slightly uncomfortable, which she pretended not to see. After a quick greeting he handed her a bag and her smile got wider.

"Here" he said. "This is the one he liked the best. Practically drooled all over it."

"Thank you Nate" she said.

The whole trip to the lingerie store had been her idea. She wanted something for the wedding night, something Chuck would like, but she wanted it to be a surprise. So she had asked Nate to take him underwear shopping and find out which piece in the store Chuck liked the best, then return and buy it for Blair.

"The first time I buy lingerie for a woman it is for my ex-girlfriend, to be used on the night she becomes my best friend's wife" Nate summed up, and then sighed. "I need therapy."

"Nate, I really appreciate this" she said.

"I know. Just promise you won't tell me how much Chuck ends up appreciating it."

"I promise" she smiled.

He nodded and left. She closed the door behind him and lifted up the garment from the bag to take a good look at it. A wide grin appeared on her face. Yes, this was definitely something Chuck would appreciate. Now all she needed was a good place to keep it until the wedding. If he had waited pseudo-patiently for six months then the least she could do was go out of her way to make it as special for him as possible.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Have a great day =)


	18. Morning Gifts

Hi again!

I'm glad I managed to surprise a few people with the end of last chapter. No surprise ending in this chapter though =) But this one is also something of an in-betweener. Hope you'll like it!

* * *

"Blair" Chuck noted as his fiancée came through the door. "Did you hear the news? Today is exactly… No wait, damn it, what was it again? A month? A week? Forty-five days? No, no, I think I remember. Today is exactly twenty-two days until we get married."

She shot him an annoyed look. The first thing she had done when she had woken up that morning was update her facebook page to let all and one and one and all know how many days were left until the wedding, as she did every morning. The second thing she had done was call Chuck and tell him in a squealing voice that it was now December and only twenty-two days to go. She had then hung up without further comment. Later on during the day she had also texted him twice with the declaration, and left him one voicemail. She knew it was a bit over the top, but she couldn't help being excited. Him making fun of it was not appreciated.

"Seriously woman, you'd think you didn't know I own a calendar" he said while she hung up her coat. "Or possessed the ability to keep track of what day I get married on. Believe me, I know exactly how many days are left until our wedding."

"Don't make fun of the facebook thing again" she warned.

"No, that's not what I was doing. I was merely trying to point out to you that I too kind of look forward to that day, and in fact count the days. I had thought you would know that without me telling you flat out, seeing as how I was the one who suggested we do it in the first place, but it appears you need to have it spelled out for you. I long for the twenty-second and can't wait until you're my wife."

"Brown-nose" she said, but smiled as she walked over and kissed him.

"How is everything coming along with the planning?" he asked and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't ask me that, so I can spare you the long boring story of how things are going" Blair said in a tired voice. "This whole planning thing is honestly starting to lose its charm. I'm sick of planning and preparing, I want to get it done already."

He smiled and gave her a little squeeze. He was half-sitting, half-lying on the couch, having turned his upper body to face her. She was standing by the couch, his arms around her waist and her arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders. Their touches were affectionate, but torturously far from the intimacy they had been used to.

"To tell you the truth Bass, sometimes I wish we could just have a simple ceremony and then whisk off to our honeymoon and just enjoy the marriage. Usually 'sometimes' is when I feel frisky. But whenever I have those thoughts I immediately think of how much I would regret it if I didn't have the kind of wedding I've always dreamed about. Our perfect day."

"A simple service would have been fine with me."

"Do you wish we had done that instead?" she asked, sounding a bit regretful.

"No, honestly I don't. The wedding… It's not that important to me how the whole thing goes down. I care about the marriage, that's the part I want. But I know the wedding means a lot to you and I don't want our wedding to be anything less than everything you want it to be."

"If sixteen year-old you could hear you say that he probably would have overdosed on purpose to save himself from ever becoming such a sap" Blair said and ran her hand through his hair. "But I love you all sorts of much."

"I was actually sixteen when I fell in love with you" he reminded her. "Sixteen and a half, to be more precise. So you would have been right about sixteen year-old me from May to November, but after that who knows? Actually you might not have been right about me at any point, come to think of it. It only took about twelve hours of having feelings for you for me to go out and buy you that necklace for your birthday."

"True…" she chuckled.

"I'm not that sappy though, am I?" he asked. "I like to think of myself as a man who has a limited supply of romantic which he tends to dish out every once in a while. Like right now, for instance."

He got up from the couch and grabbed her by the hands, leading her towards the bedroom. She hesitated for a second but then obediently followed.

"I've prepared something for you" he said.

"In the bedroom?"

"Well I've got to do something to make you set foot in there" he teased. "Even if it is only to be boring and chaste. Here, take a look."

She gasped when she saw what he had done with the glass wall. Then she had to laugh. It was cute, but slightly weird and depraved, in true Chuck Bass manor. He had put up twenty-two sheets of paper, each one numbered to create a countdown to their wedding day. Aside from a number, each piece of paper had a picture of something related to their sex life, getting more and more explicit the lower the number. Some had pictures of body parts, which Chuck had gotten from photos he had of Blair, but most were more discreet, like a code between the two of them. Other people wouldn't necessarily guess that a picture of maple syrup, a lighter or a pair of shoes were referring to sex.

"You did this?" she said, barely able to believe it.

"You won't be the only one in our family who can make a collage if necessary" he grinned.

"Our kids will be so blessed."

"Do you like it?"

"It's great" she smiled. "So, we remove one every day?"

"With such mind-blowing powers of deduction it's unbelievable that you didn't get into Yale" he teased. "But there are rules."

"Of course there are."

"The numbers may only be removed if both of us are present. Last week excluded, since I know we'll have a million things to do that week and we both decided we wouldn't spend the nights together."

"So far your terms are acceptable" she smiled.

"And, in order for you to get to remove one of these, you will have to earn it."

"Earn it how?"

"I reserve the right to decide that on a day-to-day basis. Criteria can range anywhere from shutting up about everything wedding reception related for a full hour, to watching my favorite shows with me, to sticking your tongue down my throat and correctly guessing what I had for breakfast."

"Chuck ew!"

"Or at least give me some proper PG loving."

"I could manage that" she smiled, wrapping her arms around him.

"In order to remove the first one today, you have to go with me to the new exhibit at the Met. I know you frown upon expressionism, but if it was all about getting you to do stuff you enjoy then it hardly would count as earning anything."

"I assume you got us tickets already?" she said, not sounding too pleased.

"Go get your coat, Waldorf. If you're a good girl I may allow you to share a yogurt with the royalty of Constance out on the steps once we're done."

"Thanks" she said sarcastically.

-

Forty minutes later they were walking towards the Met, enjoying the mild temperature, even though it worried Blair that there might not be snow in time for the wedding.

"It's too soon to start worrying" Chuck said calmly. "If it hasn't snowed twenty days from now then that's a different story. But seriously darling, you worry enough about the things you do have power over. Spare yourself having to worry about things which are completely out of your control."

"I can't help it. I was hoping for a beautiful, white wedding. Snow on the trees, the whole world glistening… Not this grey-fest."

"I promise you, if it hasn't snowed by the twentieth I will fly someone up to the mountains and have them bring back circa twenty tons of snow and spread it out around the places we will be on our wedding day."

She laughed and squeezed his hand. He let go of it and put his arm around her waist instead, prompting her to wrap her arm around his.

"You need to relax. Everything is under control. Camille is doing a wonderful job. Things have progressed much smoother and much faster than I ever anticipated when the date was first set. We have this covered, from every possible angle."

"You know there is one subject we've never discussed…" she said.

"I highly doubt it. Which subject would that be?"

"Morning gifts. Some couples do them, other's don't…"

"Why would we discuss that? Of course we're doing morning gifts."

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Truthfully she was a bit nervous about the idea of morning gifts, since she at present had no idea what to get him. Somehow cufflinks didn't seem grand enough to bestow on her husband on the first morning of their marriage. No doubt Chuck already knew exactly what he wanted to get her, which brought out her competitive streak. She may not know what he was getting her, but she was firmly set on giving him something far better.

"Does this mean you already have mine?" she had to ask.

"Curiosity killed the cat, my pet."

She frowned, but realized she wouldn't get anything further out of him at present. She would have to employ other tactics, so she could at least find out which price range his gift for her would have. Nate could probably be convinced to be her little spy again. She heard her fiancé chuckle at her brooding and hated how he could sometimes see right through her.

"Oh, get this" she said, suddenly remembering something. "Next semester, when I pick up my studies again, apparently they are planning on putting me through administrative hell. Just because I'm changing my last name."

"I could see how that would cause some errors in their systems…"

"It shouldn't. Hello, this is 2012. I can't be the first woman who's gotten married between enrolling and graduating."

"Or maybe you are, and that turns out to be the true reason most women wait to get married until after college."

"Also I'll have to change the sign on my dorm room door."

"You're keeping your dorm room?"

"At least for starters. When I have an early exam I don't want to have to wake up insanely early and go all the way from the Empire, or wherever we get our own place later, to NYU. Don't worry, I'll give you a heads up at least a week in advance so you can make arrangements to bring an extra pillow."

"How considerate."

"It's the least I can do for my husband."

"Wouldn't it be better to just get an apartment nearby? Aren't there hotels in the general NYU area?"

"I kind of like my dorm room."

"Well that makes one individual on the planet."

"Fine. We can discuss this later, we're almost at the Met. But I'm beginning to wonder if maybe the living situation is one big reason why lots of people hold off on getting married until they've finished college. It's just easier to live on campus when you're studying."

"It's weird, we've never had this discussion before" he noted. "I assumed you would want to be with me all the time once that ring was on your finger."

"I want to be with you all the time _now_" she told him. "If I didn't, I probably wouldn't want to be married to you. This is about practical issues. You know I'm not a morning person."

"I know. But I was hoping that husband would trump beauty sleep."

"You know, before we got engaged I did spent a lot of my nights at the Empire" she pointed out. "And I will when we're married. But maybe wife can trump your dislike for my dorm room every once in a while?"

"Maybe. We can discuss it later, we're here."

They walked up the Met steps together and Blair cast him a glance.

"So about my morning gift…"

* * *

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, have a good day!


	19. BachelorBachelorette

It's been a few days since I last updated this story… I decided not to touch this story again until I got going again with "Redux", which didn't turn out to be quite as effective a cure for writers block as I'd hoped. Oh well.

Morning gifts, to those who wonder, are gifts newlyweds give each other the morning after the wedding =) Back in the day the groom usually gave the bride a house, or something expensive enough to sustain her if he died. These days it's usually jewelry. It's tradition where I'm from but I'm not sure it's tradition in the US. Still, it's kind of a sweet tradition so I included it.

Anyway, I don't have much to say about this chapter, other than I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to hear any and all opinions you might have.

Happy reading!

* * *

"I have a question" Serena said, following Blair into hers and Chuck's bedroom. "What are those legal papers lying on the living room table?"

"Copies of our prenups. We have a court date on Monday to sign them, but I told Chuck we needed to make some amendments. He then cursed at me."

"What amendments? I thought everything had been settled."

"Everything has been. It's just a ruse to get Chuck to cancel all his plans for this weekend. I told him negotiations would probably take a while, since I want to add in a clause stipulating that I get a certain amount of money transferred into my accounts if I give birth to a girl, and twice that amount for a boy."

"What? That's insane!"

"I know, I'm surprised he bought it. It's a little too over the top so I half expected him to see that I was lying, but it was the best lie I could come up with on short notice. In a way it's nice to know he trusts me enough not to question me even when I tell him something completely insane."

"And why are we lying to our fiancé?"

"To get him to cancel any plans he might have for the weekend, like I said. Eric is kidnapping him later today for the bachelor party and he asked me to make sure Chuck was free and at the Empire at the right time. He also had me make sure he was packed, and your brother is far weirder than I've given him credit for. Why would Chuck need both swimwear, steel-toed boots and a copy of his medical records?"

"The bachelor party is this weekend?"

"Yeah. Don't you and Eric ever talk anymore?"

Blair plopped down on the bed and glanced over at the countdown on the glass wall. It said sixteen, but one would be removed once Chuck got home. Then the countdown would be at a standstill for the weekend while he was away.

"You must be so relieved that Eric is organizing this" Serena said and sat down next to Blair. "No strippers, no prostitutes, none of the things a bride would want banned from the bachelor party."

"Who cares if there are strippers there?" Blair said. "Let them have their fun. So long as he just looks I don't care."

"Normally I would be amazed by your trust and generosity, but we are talking about a Chuck Bass who has had to go without for almost six months. If I were you I would have been begging the best man not to take him any place wilder and sexier than a petting zoo."

"I'm not worried."

They both leaned back until they were lying down, staring at the ceiling. It hadn't even occurred to Serena to make the bachelorette party for Blair a surprise, the way her brother was making Chuck's bachelor party one. Blair already knew they were going out tomorrow, even if she didn't know the specifics of what they would be doing. Serena wasn't all too pleased at having been upstaged by her younger brother as a party planner, but it was too late to change anything now. At least Blair didn't know for sure what day the bridal shower would be.

"Hey I'm curious," Serena said after a while. "will you be wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?"

"She has something blue already" Chuck said, coming through the door. "In my pants. Hey ladies."

"Chuck can you please not be gross for at least ten minutes or so?" Serena complained.

"I didn't hear you come in" Blair said, slightly nervous at the thought of him overhearing anything about the surprise. "I thought you were still meeting with Bass Industries. What happened?"

"Not much" Chuck shrugged and took off his suit jacket. "We were just efficient today, for once. I think a lot of people were eager to get out of the office to do some Christmas shopping. Defectors, the whole bunch of them."

He walked over to his side of the bed and began taking off his shoes with his back turned at the girls, and Blair turned to Serena again.

"Of course I will be going with something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" she said. "And what's that thing about a coin in your shoe? That I feel I can safely skip. But the rest… Absolutely."

"So what will you be going with?"

"I have my something new. But I don't want to tell you what it is in front of Chuck."

"I don't really care" Chuck said.

"I don't care that you don't care. I've also got my something old. The rest I haven't gotten a hold of yet, but I have two weeks, so no worries."

"Here Blair, have this as your something borrowed" Chuck said and tossed something towards them.

It landed on Serena, and when she saw what it was she cried out in disgust and picked it up using just the nails on her thumb and index finger, making a disgusted face.

"Ew Chuck, _gross_!"

"Unwind, sis…"

"No, that is so gross!" she insisted, and flicked the pair of boxers he had thrown at them on Blair. "And seriously Chuck, buy some new underwear."

Chuck shrugged, not really caring what she thought about his old Calvin Klein boxers.

"They're comfortable" he said. "And Blair loves to sleep in them. You can wear those underneath your dress and voila, you've got your something borrowed."

"I am not wearing your old underwear under my wedding dress!" Blair said, offended by the very suggestion. "Besides, my mother would throw another hissy if I changed my undergarments at this point."

"Seriously, you two. You are completely gross and disturbing" Serena said, looking slightly queasy.

"Weakling" Chuck scoffed. "So Blair, when are the two vultures getting here? Can we at least have dinner first?"

"No" Blair said. "They are supposed to be here at six."

"Why on earth would you want to add a clause like that?" Chuck asked with a tired sigh and changed into a different pair of pants while Serena kept her eyes firmly closed. "That's the kind of thing a trophy wife would ask for."

"I just feel that if I carry your spawn for three quarters of a year and then exorcise it from my special place then you owe me."

"But money? And more for a boy than a girl?"

"That's the standard agreement" Blair argued. "Besides, don't try to pretend you're not hoping for boys rather than girls."

"How about both?"

Blair nudged at Serena to change the subject fast, before Chuck had more time to question the story she had made up. Serena looked slightly panicked for a second and blurted out the first thing that came into her mind.

"Tom and I were thinking about seeing the new Spielberg movie tomorrow" she lied. "Would you guys like to tag along?"

"According to Blair we won't be engaging in anything even remotely fun until we've settled the prenup thing" Chuck said.

He walked over to Blair's side of the bed, reached out his hands to her and pulled her up, nodding towards the countdown on the wall.

"Tell us if it's any good and we can download it" Blair suggested to Serena.

"Now" Chuck said, wrapping his arms around her. "How about we remove another number from the wall?"

"Great idea" she smiled.

"Earn it then."

She gave him a long, deep kiss, causing Serena to groan loudly and cover her eyes with her hands.

"Please guys, I'm right here" she complained.

"Was that good enough?" Blair coquettishly asked Chuck.

"Almost…" he said.

She kissed him again and Serena growled and left the room. Chuck grinned.

"Finally, we're rid of her."

-

Ten minutes later Serena was flipping through a magazine when Blair and Chuck came out from the bedroom. She gave them a disapproving look.

"Seriously? Ten minutes? Who smooches for ten minutes over a stupid countdown?"

"People with successful relationships" Blair said and sat down on the couch next to her.

"Basses" Chuck suggested.

"You're only half-Bass" Serena pointed out sullenly.

"Honestly sis, you're a Bass-in-law, you need to stop pretending you're pure as the driven snow. Come and play in the dirt like the rest of us."

"Ew."

"I can't believe you're saying 'ew' when we're not even doing anything family unfriendly these days" Blair commented. "Chuck is right. You act like I've ruined your innocence any time I tell you anything about the stuff we normally do."

"I don't think anything the two of you do can count as normal" Serena objected.

"Why are you still here?" Chuck asked. "Eager to meet our two demons?"

"Blair said they would be here by six. It's just past five."

"Well now that the smooching is taken care of, I was hoping to get to argue with my fiancée before they get here" Chuck said, casting Blair a glare.

Blair shot Serena a desperate look. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Chuck and discuss the absurdity in her made up story.

"Yeah, but…" Serena said, trying hard to come up with something. "I… have a problem. And I need B's help."

"It can wait" Chuck said.

"Chuck!" Blair scolded. "My best friend needs me."

"We need to have a discussion about this, just you and me, before the attorneys get here" Chuck argued.

"I don't see why. I've made my standpoint perfectly clear. Now Chuck, why don't you sit down with one of your silly video games while Serena and I discuss her very important problem."

Chuck mumbled something that didn't sound too flattering judging by the tone in his voice. Blair ignored him and dragged Serena off into the bedroom again.

"Are you sure he's not going to try and bolt?" Serena asked with fake drama.

"Very funny. Let's just hide out here until Eric gets here. Maybe I should text him and tell him to move those tiny little legs."

Serena plopped down on the bed.

"You know, you could just go out there and distract him with your lips until Eric gets here" she said with rolling eyes. "Like a normal fiancée would."

"You have a point" Blair said.

"No… No Blair I was being sarcastic. Come on, don't make me hide out here while you two suck face."

"First of all," Blair said, stopping in the doorway, "I never 'suck face'. I may kiss, smooch, lock lips and even sometimes tongue tango, but I never 'suck face'. Second of all, you don't have to hide out here. We probably won't notice you anyway."

"That's deeply disturbing."

-

Forty-five minutes later Eric had finally arrived to properly kidnap Chuck and Serena breathed a huge sigh of relief when she and Blair were alone again. But she had barely sat down on the couch before Blair had hurried off into the bedroom, moving like a squirrel on speed with its tail on fire. Serena raised an eyebrow and waited for her friend to come back out, but when she did she had a bag in her hand and was headed straight for the door.

"Hurry up S. I need to be moving like right now."

"Moving where?"

"Out the door! I have someplace to be! Now march. April, May, June, let's go!"

Serena reluctantly got up from the couch and walked over to Blair, who was looking at her impatiently.

"B… What are you talking about?"

"Hurry up, I'm going to be late."

"You mean to tell me you were going to leave the minute Chuck was out of here?" Serena said with disbelief.

"Yeah" Blair said matter-of-factly.

"You're seriously saying you had no intention of hanging out with me?"

"We can hang out in a couple of hours, right now time is of the essence."

"So I just stuck around here when I clearly wasn't needed, even though you had no intention of spending time with me once that annoying jerk who keeps taking up all your time anyway was out of the house?"

"Yeah. I feel like I'm talking to someone with advanced dementia here. I'm needed elsewhere so let's _go_ already. I'll text you when I'm done and we can hang out then."

Serena just scoffed at her, imagining the headlines that would be sure to follow if she murdered Blair just weeks prior to the Bass/Waldorf wedding, and strode past her best friend without another word. Blair shrugged her shoulders, not really having time to worry about Serena right now, and hurried out the door.

-

Chuck raised an eyebrow at Eric but couldn't hide the fact that he found the whole thing entertaining. They were at Victrola, which was "closed for a private event", Eric's idea of kick starting the bachelor party. As far as Chuck knew, him and Blair were the only two people who knew that their love affair had really begun here, which meant Eric had no idea just how fitting this location was.

He turned his attention to the dancers on stage, smiling to himself at the memory of a certain someone who, as it turned out, had moves. Moves which were showcased on that stage five years ago. If Blair knew anything about the plans for the bachelor party she was probably happy to know that while there were exotic dancers, they were performing on a stage where he could only really see one woman.

The women on stage broke the circle they had been moving in and then he saw her. At first he thought it was his mind playing games with him, but when she started moving her hips to the music he got a sense of déjà vu so strong he almost dropped his glass of scotch along with his chin. She turned her head and gave him her most playfully seductive smile and he slowly shook his head at her with feigned disapproval.

"Is that… Is that _Blair_?" he heard Nate ask.

"Take a good look Nathaniel" Chuck said, leaning forward. "This is what you gave up and I will spend forever with. If you need a strong drink to drown your sorrows after that, then consider it on the house."

He chuckled as Blair continued to dance, realizing that he should probably be irritated that she was crashing the event meant to celebrate his last days of "freedom" and being just "one of the guys", not to mention appalled that she was essentially doing a striptease in front of far too many guys he knew. The truth was it didn't bother him in the slightest. Knowing Blair, this was her way of giving him a proper sendoff, and regardless of how many people were in the room he knew she was dancing for him alone.

Her dress, he realized, was the same one she had worn that night junior year, and when she let it drop she was wearing what appeared to be the same negligee too. The dress was one thing, but the fact that she had kept the negligee all those years hinted that their night in the limo had left more of an impression on her than she had ever let on. She had never admitted to having viewed that night as anything more than just physical at the time.

Slowly she made her way down from the stage and walked over to him, seducing him with every move. She landed on his lap, giggling and teasing him by caressing his cheek and getting her lips as close to his as possible without actually touching. She then proceeded to give him a lap dance, while persistently smacking away his hands whenever he tried to touch her in any more tender or intimate way.

Right about when he thought he was about to lose his mind she briskly stood up, grabbed his drink and took a sip. Then she smiled, leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on his lips before smiling mischievously and walking away, swaying her hips and giving him the occasional look over the shoulder until she had disappeared.

"She will be the death of me" Chuck croaked.

-

"You did _what_?" Serena exclaimed.

Blair plopped down next to her on the bed where Serena had been painting her nails, contemplating ways of getting back at Blair after the wedding when Blair had shown up to apologize for bailing on Serena earlier.

"What?" Blair said innocently.

"I swear, I do not want any details" Serena groaned. "I just cannot believe you gave him a lap dance _in public_. In front of my brother, and whatever guys Chuck Bass hangs out with. One of which is your ex boyfriend."

"Well he always did bring out the more… exhibitionistic side of me" Blair said. "And I won't give you any details. In spite of the audience, it was actually something very private between Chuck and me."

"Lap dances usually are."

"Like I said, it's private. I was going to give you a heads up about me leaving, but Chuck got back much earlier than I expected and I couldn't very well say: 'Hi honey. By the way Serena, once Chuck is kidnapped for his secret bachelor party I will be leaving so I can surprise him at his first destination.'"

"Fine, consider yourself forgiven" Serena reluctantly said. "But for the love of God, no more perversions in public. And yes, in front of me is considered in public."

"You're just jealous because even though we're not having sex we're still hotter than you and your boyfriend of only six months."

"Watch it, or I'll use this nail polish to give your teeth a makeover."

-

Twenty-four hours later Blair was in the middle of her own party, more precisely having drinks at a pub that was having its grand opening that night, when her phone rang. She could barely hear it over the volume at the bar and the massive amount of noise the girls at the bachelorette party were making. She pressed a finger in one ear and pressed the phone to the other, hoping to be able to hear at least something.

"Hello?" she yelled.

Serena looked up from her drink and shared an eye-roll with the other members of the bridal party, minus Dorota who was too loyal to roll her eyes at Blair in public.

"My money is on cake emergency" Serena said.

"No, no" one of Blair's sorority sisters said. "Her wedding planner needs to know _right now_ what exact shade the napkins should be."

"Or what color Chuck's underwear will be" another sorority girl said, rolling her eyes but giggling at the thought.

"What?" Blair yelled into the phone. "Where are you? I can't hear… What on earth are you doing in Ho Chi Minh City?"

"Runaway wedding planner" Amalia giggled. "Not that I blame her."

"You did _what_?" Blair yelled, trying as hard as she could to hear the other end of the conversation. "I thought you said sky diving was… What? Who? I'm sorry, can you speak up? The sumo wrestler did what?"

"Seriously, who is she talking to?" Serena said, slightly unsure of whether this conversation was hilarious or disconcerting.

"No, I don't understand" Blair continued on the phone. "How exactly does an armadillo facture into that?"

"Now I get it" Amalia said while nodding to herself. "Camille finally had enough and stole Chuck's stash to be able to handle the stress."

They watched Blair intently while she finished her conversation, eager to hear what exactly was going on.

"I'm sorry, I really can't hear you, you'll have to call me again later" she finally yelled. "Uh-huh. Me too. No. Okay, bye."

She hung up and gave Serena a highly confused look.

"Who was it?" Serena demanded to know.

"Chuck is either stoned, drunk off his ass, both, or your brother is _seriously_ far weirder than I give him credit for" Blair said.

Serena opened her mouth to form a question but Blair disappeared in the direction of the bathroom before she could decide on what to say. Apparently the bachelor party was quite the event. She glanced at the girls gathered at the bar and thought of the things she had planned for the rest of the party. Her game plan didn't even include leaving the country. She groaned internally at the thought of having been bested by her little brother and downed her drink in one swoop.

"We need to find a way to make this party come alive" she said.

This earned her a chorus of "_wooo_" from the sorority girls and she rose with determination. If they moved their plans up a bit she could probably find time for something more, something wilder than what they already had planned.

Blair returned from the bathroom ten minutes later, and was surprised to find Serena and the others all on their feet, waiting for her.

"We're leaving already?" she asked. "I wanted to get a moonshine martini before we left."

"No time for drinks here, you can get one at our next destination" Serena said and grabbed her shoulders, turning her around. "Now head for the door. Hurry up."

Blair shrugged her shoulders and adjusted the red tiara they had stuck on her head to target her as a bride to be. She had specifically asked Serena to avoid such things as making wedding dresses out of toilet paper, but she had a sneaking suspicion that those activities would make an appearance anyway at the bridal shower they were having for the less party loving people on the top of the guest list. Now that Serena had gotten that weird look in her eye Blair was starting to worry that perhaps Serena had ignored all her requests and simply googled as many bachelorette party clichés as she could find.

"If we're heading anywhere where there's a male stripper…" she begun.

"Oh come on, like you're that prude" Serena laughed and guided Blair out the door by keeping her hands on her shoulders.

"I find it hard to take a guy seriously when he's ripping a police uniform off himself" Blair remarked.

"This night is not about being serious" Serena said. "It's about having zero inhibition and as much fun as possible. It's your last night partying as a free woman!"

Blair turned her head to give Serena a slightly perturbed look and Serena grinned back as wide as she could. The truth was she didn't have anything super wild planned, which was why her brain was now working in overdrive to find some activity they could do which would make Blair's bachelorette party at least half as memorable as the party Chuck was having.

"Did I hear you on the phone saying something about sky diving?" she asked and got an idea. "What a strange coincidence…"

"If you kill me just weeks before my wedding Chuck is going to be annoyed with you" Blair yelped.

"What was that? I can't hear you over this racket. Come on, hurry up…"

Blair shot Dorota a look of fear as Serena pushed her outside, and into the waiting limo. One thing was for sure. No more alcohol for Serena.

* * *

I debated with myself for a long time whether or not to write in Blair making an appearence at the bachelor party... It seemed like a fun idea, but at the same time it seemed a bit odd, and I couldn't make up my mind. I'm glad I ended up writing it in, and I hope it worked =) And I couldn't resist naming this chapter in a sort of homage to "Victor/Victrola"

Hope you enjoyed the read. Please review.


	20. Final Detail

Hey all!

I'm glad the Blair stunt at the bachelor party went over well =) No morning after chapter here though or further detail on the parties; perhaps I'll include that if I ever do get around to a "missing sequences" sort of thing later on.

Anyway, new chapter up. Hope you enjoy the read.

* * *

Seven pieces of paper remained on the glass wall when Chuck, Blair, Eleanor and Camille sat down to go over the final details for the wedding. It was early Saturday morning and they had to get as much as possible done before lunch, because at one-thirty they were meeting up with a whole crowd of people at the location for the reception. Caterers, florists, musicians, all kinds of people would be there to get a rundown of what the bride and groom wanted.

Blair absentmindedly tucked a strain of hair behind her ear and studied the seating charts carefully. Her mother was right next to her, peering over her shoulder, coming with comments and suggestions which Blair didn't bother listening to. Chuck was on the phone with the photographer and Camille was softly humming to herself as she went over the menu and wine list one more time.

"Darling, you can't seat the Greysmiths next to Molly Clarence!" Eleanor said, nudging Blair and pointing at the chart. "They do _not_ get along since last year's incident at the polo game. Move her to a different table."

"We shouldn't have invited her in the first place, no one gets along with her" Blair objected. "Although, we could move someone from the Humphrey table… Who do we not hate enough to feel obligated to keep them far back?"

Eric, Serena and Lily came through the door with bagels and coffee in their hands. They offered greetings, and Lily gave Chuck an air kiss to the cheek while he grabbed one of the coffee mugs from her hands and walked into the bedroom to finish his phone call.

"Welcome to Crazy Central" Blair said and happily took the bagel Eric offered her. "So much to do, so little time to do it in. And now our photographer wants to reschedule the photo session for earlier in the day. Is he mad? Chuck can't see me in my dress before the ceremony, plus I wouldn't have time anyway."

"Too bad you couldn't get a later hour for the ceremony" Eleanor mumbled.

"They offered us one o'clock and we're going with one o'clock" Blair said firmly.

"You know, in the twenty-four hour clock, that's thirteen o'clock" Eric informed them and sat down in an armchair. "Not a lot of people would dare to get married at thirteen o'clock."

"It's basically a wedding between a witch and the Devil" Serena said cheerfully and took off her coat. "I'd say it's a fitting time."

"Ha ha, very funny" Blair said. "If we are done with the comedy section of the program, then why don't you make yourself useful?"

"The menu and wine list are in order" Camille said and put them into her green folder, the one for things that were finished and in proper order. It was alarmingly thin at the moment. "And the Dom has of course been ordered."

"Great. One less thing to worry about. How about the cake?"

"Uh, I spoke to the bakery" Eric said. "They will deliver it while you guys are at the photographer's."

"So, at eight in the morning, if the photographer has his way" Blair sighed.

"I don't understand, why is he trying to change the time?" Lily asked.

"Apparently he's decided he wants to redo his studio, and the carpenters wanted to come at two."

"Why do you necessarily have to go to his studio to take pictures?" Serena asked. "He will be at the reception anyway."

"The lighting is better at a professional studio."

"Can't you find a different photographer?" Eric asked.

"I want the one we have. The guy is a genius, but apparently he hasn't got the first clue that if you book an appointment you don't call a week in advance to change it to earlier that day. Especially not when it's for a _wedding_!"

Serena nodded and didn't dare to say anything else. The tone in Blair's voice implied that she was getting dangerously close to snapping. These past few weeks she had turned her bridezilla up to ten, and Serena feared when she would reach eleven.

"Seriously, is there anything about this wedding that isn't disastrous?" Blair griped.

"What are you talking about?" Lily said and sat down next to Eleanor. "Everything is going great. You should have seen when I married my second husband. The caterer called two days in advance to confirm that we had ordered a Chinese selection. Turned out they had gotten us mixed up with the Chen and Yang wedding."

"I did see it. I was there" Blair snarled.

"Most things seem to be falling into place for you" Lily continued. "The only oddity really is that you had to move up the rehearsal until two days before the ceremony."

"Why is that, again?" Eric asked.

"They have some big hoopla at the cathedral on Friday, since it's the Friday before Christmas" Eleanor explained. "It was Thursday or not at all."

"It just messes everything up" Blair griped. "Who's ever heard of a rehearsal dinner held two days before the ceremony? On a Thursday!"

"On the bright side, it means you can relax and do whatever you want the day before" Serena tried.

"Like I would be able to relax" Blair scoffed. "I will be far too busy being insanely nervous, obsessing over every last detail."

"You? _Never_."

"The rehearsal, and the rehearsal dinner, are supposed to help you forget about the nerves and the stress for a moment."

"That's not exactly what they are for" Eleanor objected.

"And trust me," Lily added, "nothing gets your nerves going more than getting a rundown of how the actual wedding will play out."

"You people are not helping" Blair said.

"Mom I told you we should get her decaf" Eric sighed while Blair took another sip from her coffee.

"Keep me away from caffeine and I might break you, little van der Woodsen" Blair warned. "I would consider taking speed at this point to keep my energy up."

"What you need is to relax" Chuck said, coming back from the bedroom. "Let me order a massage for you. Your minions and your fiancé can handle this for a while."

"Chuck, if you start singing '_Everything Is Alright_' to me again I might revoke your invitation to the reception and just replace you with a cardboard cutout. Did you get through to that damn photographer?"

He put the phone and his coffee down on the table and walked behind her, while she waited impatiently for him to answer his question. He began massaging her tense shoulders and the upper half of her back while he spoke.

"I did get through to him."

"See, I knew he would understand common sense" Lily said.

"I don't know about that. But I kindly told him that either we keep our booked appointment or I will personally ensure that he is driven to bankruptcy and that he will never work in this city again. We ended up understanding each other perfectly."

"That's my man" Blair smiled and closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the massage.

"Great, so can we consider the photographer checked, double-checked and ready to cross off my list?" Camille asked.

"Go right ahead Camille" Chuck said.

"Seriously Chuck, great work" Blair said. "From now on, you are on official Threaten People duty."

"My pleasure to do it" he smiled.

Serena shook her head at how quickly Blair had gone from stressed out to content relaxation, and decided to enjoy it for as long as it would last. Knowing Blair she would probably be back to bridezilla within five minutes.

"Transportation was never an issue…" Camille muttered under her breath and put the notes for that aside. "You registered for gifts a while ago…"

"Oh, I picked up the rings yesterday" Eric said.

"Already?" Blair said, giving him a disapproving look.

"Yeah. They… called…" Eric said.

"Wouldn't it have been smarter to keep them at Cartier until the day before the wedding?" Blair said. "What if something happens to them?"

"Like what?" Chuck asked. "It's not like Eric carries them around in his pocket or gives them a guided tour of the Met. They're probably safely put away somewhere."

"They are in Bart's old safe" Eric reassured Blair. "I thought it was better to pick them up now, rather than leave it to the last minute. You never know what might go wrong if you leave it for too long."

"Yes with a winter wedding especially" Lily agreed and looked out the window. "It's nearly zero degrees outside and snowing. If you get a snowstorm on the day of the wedding…"

She trailed off when she saw Chuck, Serena, Eric and Eleanor wildly gesturing for her to stop talking before she put new fears into Blair's head. Too late.

"Oh my God!" Blair exclaimed. "What if there's a snowstorm?"

She leaned forward, away from her relaxed position, ready to begin working herself up to a frenzy. Chuck grabbed her and firmly drew her back again, continuing to work on her tense shoulders.

"Everything would be ruined!" she yelped.

"No" Chuck argued. "All that would mean is we get a lovely winter setting for the big day. Lots of snow falling from the sky, who doesn't love that?"

"Anybody who has to transport themselves through this damn city" Blair pointed out. "Chuck you have connections. Do you think there's any way we could, I don't know, seal off Manhattan for a few hours? Only let our people be out driving?"

"None of you ladies would happen to have a Prozac, would you?" Chuck asked the other women in the room. "Or some Haldol?"

"Well excuse me for freaking out" Blair snarled. "But we've got a large wedding in just seven days, with prominent people from all over the world attending, and the headlines I want to see on the newspapers over Christmas are not ones about how Bass and Waldorf had their wedding snowed in."

"Again, something that would have been worth considering when you set the date" Chuck pointed out.

"Get those hands off me and get to work" she snarled and slapped his hands away.

"Yes, speaking of which…" he said. "I've been too busy working to have much time for this whole planning nightmare during these seven months, which I do feel a little bad about, but I've had my schedule cleared from everything non-wedding related this final week. Why don't you let me be the one who worries about the details and the things that might go wrong, while you just worry about being cute as a button?"

"But I am much better at worrying than you are."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Let me see if I can get good old Jack Frost on the phone and put my powers of threatening people to work on him?" he suggested with a grin.

"You're ridiculous" Blair said, but smiled sweetly at him before turning to her wedding planner. "Camille make sure we have a meteorologist on standby to give us warning the moment it looks like a snowstorm will hit."

"If it stays this cold a snowstorm is highly unlikely" Chuck pointed out and walked over to grab his coffee.

"On the other hand it means a higher risk of cars breaking down" Blair replied.

"But less risk of the cake melting or a tropical storm hitting" Serena offered.

"Enough crazy" Camille said. "You're paying me to organize this thing and right now I'm telling the bride that if she doesn't calm herself I will send her on a time-out. Miss Waldorf, you're disturbing my concentration."

Blair sulked and grabbed her coffee. Eleanor muttered and hummed over the seating charts and Blair cast a look at her.

"You are not changing anything Mother without my approval."

"Do we have everything in order with the music?" Chuck asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Yes, on all accounts" Camille said, shooting a look warning Blair to stay in line. "String quartet and the band for the reception will be at the meeting. The soloist for the ceremony will be at the rehearsal on Thursday. And I spoke with some man at St. Patrick's who will make sure everything is in order there for the music during the ceremony."

"Sounds good" Blair said with a sigh of relief.

"And somewhere in my briefcase I have one of Blair's ten million notepads with all the music we want playing during the reception" Chuck said while taking a seat. "It took a while, but we managed to reach a complete agreement in the end."

"Excellent" Camille said and moved another piece of paper over to her green binder. "Now, I know we've been over this, but I just want to confirm… You left the marriage license with the priest, correct?"

"If he loses it I swear he will learn exactly what people mean when they say that hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned" Blair said from behind her coffee cup.

"Cute as a button…" Chuck reminded her with a smile.

"The toastmaster will be at the meeting…" Camille mumbled to herself. "Mrs. Waldorf, where are we on wardrobe?"

"The dresses are all finished" Eleanor said. "And Blair's got her veil, her hair appointment, and some big shot makeup artist. As far as I know everything is ready for the groom and groomsmen as well."

"You can strike 'wardrobe' off your list" Chuck confirmed to Camille.

"And I've spoken to the florist about a hundred times this week" Camille said. "Everything is in order there too. This wedding is really starting to come together."

"That's just what it wants us to think" Blair said. "Lull us into a false sense of security, and then something happens that will make the whole thing go south faster than a California prom queen in the back of a Corvette."

"I made a few calls," Camille went on, ignoring Blair, "and everything has been double-checked for the honeymoon."

"Can I at least get a hint?" Blair asked, shooting Chuck her most persuasive smile. "How am I supposed to know what to pack?"

"Don't worry, I have someone who will take care of that for you" Chuck said and finished his coffee.

Blair cast a glance at Serena, who seemed completely focused on eating her bagel with no time to meet Blair's eyes. Blair snickered, determined to pry the secret of the destination from Serena. Chuck watched with amusement, having no problems reading her thoughts in her face, secretly happy that Serena was playing her part perfectly without even knowing she was playing a part to begin with. It wasn't Serena who would pack Blair's bags, and he was surprised she would even think it was. Packing for Blair would be the first thing Dorota ever did on his command as his and Blair's shared employee.

"Although," he said, "feel free to pack one bag all on your own. With whatever things you want to make absolute sure come with…"

He drew out the last word for a second while giving his fiancée a suggestive look. He wasn't sure if Dorota would feel comfortable packing Blair's lingerie, and he was hoping she'd want to wear a lot of it for him during their trip. His smile got a touch wider when their eyes met. Just one more week and then the torture would be over. Now that he had his goal within his reach, it was actually starting to get fun. In his mind he mapped out every last detail of what he wanted to do with and to her once they had left New York. The look in her eyes told him she was doing the same thing.

"Those seating charts need to be finished quite soon" Camille said, bringing them both back to reality.

"We're working on them" Eleanor said, her eyes fixed on the charts.

"Give that to me, Mother" Blair said, snatching it away. "I will be doing the seating charts, not you."

"Darling, I'm only trying to help" Eleanor declared.

"Our word goes above yours on the seating charts" Blair said and noticed a change her mother had made. "Stop changing things around. It drives me crazy. Chuck put those two at that table for a reason."

"We'll have them to you in time, Camille" Chuck said. "Or if we don't have time, we'll give you some guidelines and leave it up to you."

"Yes, because Camille has so much leisure time on her hands the week before the wedding" Serena commented. She then laughed. "Come on you two, relax a bit. Yes Chuck, I'm talking to you too. Seriously, things are looking good. Your wedding is going to be perfect."

"Not if my mother does the seating charts" Blair claimed.

"In other good news…" Camille said. "I picked up all the printables over these past couple of days and they all look just right. I also spoke to the Times, the New Yorker and the other newspapers you wanted the ad to be printed in, and they will be running it."

"Of course they will" Blair smiled.

Camille continued to go over everything that was in order and the things that still needed to be done. Luckily that list was growing increasingly short. After a while Serena called room service and had lunch brought up for them while they finished their run-through.

After lunch they all got up and got ready to head over and meet up with all the people waiting for them at the location for the reception. Blair grabbed Chuck's hand and led him into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. She smiled lovingly at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled back and wrapped his around her waist.

"I advise you to cherish this…" she said lovingly. "This is a special moment."

"Really? How so?"

"Because… This is the last kiss we'll share before we're married."

His face fell and he opened his mouth to protest loudly, but her lips met his before he could say anything. She kissed him long and tenderly and he responded automatically. But when their lips had parted and she gave him a coquettish smile the frown was back on his face.

"Blair, clearly the stress of all of this has made you lose your mind" he said. "I can live with the no sex thing if I have to, but no kissing?"

"Look at the time" she said. "It's one o'clock. One week to the hour until our wedding starts. We can go a week without kissing. And think of--"

"No, I will not think of how special that first kiss will be" he said. "I won't agree to this. You can't just decide things like this."

"Not once we're married, but for a few more days we'll still be on our own" she said. "It's not a big deal, it's only a week."

"It _is _a big deal" he insisted. "Think of it, how many times a day do we kiss? Now multiply that with seven."

"I'll make it up to you."

"How exactly?"

"I'm sure I can figure something out during the honeymoon" she said suggestively, playing with his lapels.

"How are you even planning on making this work?"

"Strength of character. And also I asked Father Matt to skip the '_you may kiss the bride_' part during the rehearsal."

"You did what?"

"I told him I felt it was inappropriate. I don't think that part is even in the rehearsal but I wanted to make sure."

"You have never been more annoying for as long as I've known you" he said firmly.

"Oh come on. You know how great it is to get to kiss when we've been apart for a few days. Now multiply _that_ by seven and realize how special that kiss in the cathedral will be."

"Just so you know, from now on there will be no more of your romantic ideas put into motion without running them past me. I demand a veto in these insane ideas."

"You'll thank me seven days from now."

"Oh don't be too sure about that. One more word about how romantic you think this stupidity is and I swear I will bite your tongue when we share that kiss in seven days."

"Geez Chuck. And people think _I_'_m _being uptight."

"Actually people think you're--"

She never got to hear what he was about to say, since Eleanor showed up in the door to tell them to hurry up already. Blair smiled, grabbed his hand and headed for the door.

"Come on Bass. Let's go put the finishing touches to our wedding reception."

"You mean give your inner Attila a chance to run free like the wind."

"Aw, my little Grumpy. I promise, once we're married I will be just as docile as you want me to be."

"A promise you're only making because you know I don't _want_ docile."

"Let's get going before my mother throws a fit."

He followed her out the door and tried to decide whether he wanted to marry her or murder her. The stress of planning the wedding sure expressed itself in very strange ways with her. One thing was for sure. She was going to spend the rest of their lives making this up to him. He would make sure of it. And something told him she wouldn't mind.

* * *

Next chapter isn't finished yet but if I have time I'll complete it tomorrow... See you next time =)


	21. Rehearsal

Hey everybody =) I don't have much to say about this installment, except I wrote it in a bit of a haste and I haven't read through it more than once so I hope it's in okay shape. Hope you'll enjoy the read!

* * *

Blair almost skipped inside St. Patrick's Cathedral on the twentieth of December, squeezing Chuck's hand tightly before clapping her hands with excitement. He chuckled at her exhilaration and even had to admit to himself that the cathedral looked rather nice in anticipation for the big holiday coming up. It would look even nicer with the candles and the floral arrangements Blair had decided upon for the wedding.

He could see Father Matt over by the altar, speaking to the deacon, and he spotted Harold at the far end, giving Roman a tour. Seeing the man who would be his father-in-law in just two days made it all seem more real. For the first time he started to feel a bit nervous. He cast a glance at Blair, who was so excited she was practically vibrating.

"Finally!" she beamed.

"Yes, good thing we don't have to wait any longer to rehearse walking and standing" Chuck teased.

"You're being a jerk and I don't care" Blair grinned. "Come, I see Daddy. Let's go say hi."

"No, let's hang up our coats first. We're fifteen minutes early, there's no rush."

She grabbed his hand and led him quickly over to the hangers, more or less pulling his coat off of him when she didn't feel he moved fast enough. He smiled and instinctively leaned in to kiss her, but she leaned away and shook her head. She could see his eyes rolling into the back of his head as she grabbed his hand again and dragged him with her to go say hello to her father and Roman.

"Daddy!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Harold. "So glad to see you! I wish you had stopped by my dorm last night when you got in!"

"Darling, we got in at midnight" Harold said and hugged her tight.

Chuck gave the two men a nod and a smile before shaking Harold's hand. He attempted to do the same with Roman, but got a big hug instead.

"We will all be family soon" Roman told him. "Families hug, they don't shake hands."

"Actually in my family, even shaking hands is considered unnecessarily intimate" Chuck said dryly, but kept the smile on his face.

"I see Serena" Blair chirped. "Be right back!"

"And off she twitters" Chuck remarked.

He couldn't help but laugh as she more or less skipped towards Serena, who was trying to shake the snow off her coat before hanging it up. Eric, Andy and Lily were with her, but Blair barely noticed them. They could see her grabbing a hold of Serena's arm and setting off on another long monologue about something wedding related.

"It is going to be such a relief when this whole thing is over" Chuck admitted to his future father-in-law.

"That's what you think" Harold scoffed. "Then comes the tying up of all the loose ends after the party, the whole gifts bit, the sending out of the 'thank you' notes, getting the ads in the papers, all of that…"

"Harold!" Roman scolded. "Don't say anything that might scare him off so close to the wedding."

"Not to worry" Chuck said. "If I could survive the past seven months then I can surely survive a few straggler issues in January. Trust me, I haven't gotten cold feet yet and I can't see myself getting them before Saturday. The only thing I worry about is something happening that will prevent the wedding from happening."

"Luckily it's not snowing as much anymore" Eric said, overhearing his comment as he came over.

Chuck nodded and greeted his best man. They spoke briefly about the rehearsal and Eric demanded to know how wound up Blair was on a scale from one to ten. After telling him she was at an eight, Chuck left Eric talking to Harold and Roman when he saw Nate walking inside the cathedral. He went over to his best friend and dragged him aside before Nate could even get his coat open.

"Did I get any calls to the penthouse after I'd left?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"I'm still trying to work out some kinks with the honeymoon" Chuck sighed. "I was hoping they would call today. I've had to leave them the number to the penthouse since Blair isn't setting foot there this week, and I want it to be a surprise."

"Dude, please, keep the kinks of your honeymoon to yourself."

"No, nothing like that. I meant something non-sexual. We'll be honeymooning on Christmas, so I wanted to try and get them to ship all our wedding presents to us, so we can open them on Christmas morning. I think Blair would like that."

"You're probably right. They didn't call though, whoever they are, so you might want to call them once we're done here."

Chuck nodded and left Nate for the moment to join the crowd that had begun to assemble far back in the cathedral. All of Blair's bridesmaids were there, Dorota beaming as widely as Blair, but Eleanor hadn't shown up yet and neither had Serena's Tom, who had ended up being a groomsman after all.

"What is taking them so long?" Blair fretted.

"Relax B" Serena said and put an arm around her shoulders. "We're not supposed to start for another ten minutes anyway."

"Ten minutes from now we are supposed to have this show on the road" Blair said. "Chuck and crew by the altar, me and posse here, everyone ready to go. We're not supposed to be watching your slacker of a boyfriend and my stupid time optimist of a mother hanging up their coats, cooing about what a lovely place for a wedding this is."

"I count myself lucky that I won't be seeing Blair on Saturday until she walks down the aisle" Chuck said, earning a death glare from his fiancée.

"They will be here in time, B" Serena said reassuringly.

"If they don't take the rehearsal serious then how can we trust that they take the _ceremony_ seriously?" Blair griped on. "What if they're this tardy on Saturday?"

"But this _isn_'_t_ the ceremony" Nate reminded her. "It's just the rehearsal. It's no big deal if it starts a couple of minutes late."

"On Saturday I expect everyone to be in their proper place, at the proper _time_. Today we are rehearsing that."

"Well look on the bright side, B" Serena said. "Chuck is inside an actual holy building and he's not sizzling. Things are already going better than I had hoped."

"That was so funny I forgot to laugh" Chuck said dryly.

The doors opened and Tom came wandering in, waving hello to the assembled group as he worked on unbuttoning his coat.

"Thank God" Serena sighed. "At least he's not the _last_ to arrive."

She hurried over to him and led him off to hang up his coat. The others could hear Serena say something, and Tom's surprised voice stating that he thought he still had a few minutes before the rehearsal started.

"I hate people who think it's okay to be fashionably late" Blair griped.

"Which you've never been" Eric said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Who gave you permission to snark at the bride, little van der Woodsen?" Blair asked.

"You'll have to excuse her, she's very high strung" Chuck said.

"No kidding…" Eric mumbled under his breath.

Serena came back with Tom on her arm as Father Matt came up to the crowd and shook hands with Chuck and Blair. Chuck gave him a brief introduction to everyone else while Blair stared at the doors as if trying to will her mother into appearing.

"Are we ready to begin?" Father Matt asked.

"We're still waiting for the mother of the bride" Harold told him.

"I've checked my watch" Blair said. "It's one minute past. We're getting this started, with or without my mother."

"Alright then" Father Matt said. "Why don't we all start by sorting out who will be standing where?"

"Camille!" Blair said.

Camille appeared and quickly began pairing off bridesmaids with groomsmen. Blair kept throwing looks at the doors, finding it harder and harder to keep a smile on her face with each minute that passed without her mother appearing.

Eleanor chose the moment when Father Matt had just started giving them a general walkthrough of what they would be doing to make her entrance. Blair gave her mother a look that could kill, which Eleanor ignored completely.

"Is tardiness a sin, Father Matt?" Blair asked.

"No."

"Tell the guy upstairs I petition for it to be one."

"Relax Blair bear" Harold said and put an arm around her shoulders. "Your mother hasn't missed much."

"Tell her that on Saturday we will lock the doors at precisely one o'clock" Blair griped. "Anyone who arrives after that will have to watch the ceremony by looking through the windows."

"Or by buying the DVDs later" Chuck smirked.

"Alright, now that everybody as arrived…" Father Matt said. "Like I was saying, we will then go over who will be standing where and doing what up at the altar. After that I will give you a run-through of exactly how the ceremony will progress. You don't need to remember what happens when since I will be taking care of all of that, but it's helpful to have heard what will happen in what order. Also we will go over details such as who goes where to do a reading, who holds the bouquet for the bride and so forth."

Chuck shot Blair a nervous smile which she returned. It had never seemed more real than it did at this moment.

"Some people like to practice walking down the aisle" Father Matt said.

"Seriously?" Aaron piped up.

"Since there are no flower girls," Father Matt continued, ignoring Aaron, "the bridesmaids will be walking first, in the order the wedding planner has given you. And then, of course, the bride, escorted by her father."

Over the next couple of minutes Camille demonstrated the preferred pace and way of walking down the aisle. Serena, who had been a bridesmaid three times before, rolled her eyes and muttered something about "_America's Next Top Model_", earning her a smack on the arm from Chuck.

Camille then ushered them down to the altar, efficiently moving them around like they were dolls in a dollhouse until she had everyone where she wanted them, while the priest patiently waited for his turn to take over. Chuck was soon parked on the right side of the altar with Eric next to him, then Nate, Andy, Aaron and Tom. Camille then had the bridesmaids walk a few yards down the aisle and then take their designated places. Last but not least, Harold escorted Blair three yards down the aisle and up to the altar before taking his seat.

Blair felt a pang of excitement when she took her place next to Chuck and her eyes met his. The cathedral was decorated for Christmas but not decked out the way Camille had organized for the wedding. Almost all seats were empty, save for a few taken by Blair's parents, Lily, Roman and a few passersby who had come to pray or had some other business in the cathedral. There was no live music, the priest wasn't clad in anything ceremonious and her hair was in a simple pony tail while her face was nearly free of makeup. She was wearing everyday clothes, and Chuck wasn't even in one of his suits. There was nothing ceremonious about any part of it. But it was their wedding, in its light version.

"Now," Father Matt began, ignorant to the looks on Blair and Chuck's faces, "once the bride has arrived at the altar, I will begin the ceremony with the opening prayer."

Chuck let his hand reach out and grab Blair's, gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

"After that, we will have the first reading. Who will be doing the honors?"

"Maid of honor does the honors" Serena said, raising her hand.

Camille hurried up to Serena and led her over to the microphone she would be reading into. Serena rolled her eyes again. While she hadn't done a reading at a wedding before, she had seen other people do it, and knew the basics.

"And you will be reading from Ecclesiastics" Father Matt concluded.

"I haven't memorized it yet" Serena sheepishly admitted, casting a worried glance at Blair.

"Use your eyes S" Blair sighed. "You have a Bible right under your nose."

"Right" Serena said, feeling a bit foolish as she opened it and took a glance. "_Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor_" she read. "Et cetera, et cetera."

She made a little curtsy for an imagined audience and went back to her place.

"Then we sing a psalm" Father Matt went on. "After that, we do the second reading."

Without missing a beat Nate walked over to the microphone, found his right page and read the first two sentences from the passage he would read from I Corinthians. He then walked back to his place, giving Chuck a pat on the arm as he passed him, and gave a nod to Father Matt to go on with the rundown.

As the priest did, Blair cast another sideways glance at Chuck, whose thumb was still caressing the back of her hand. When they had first been to meet with Father Matt Chuck had seemed uninterested, like he didn't care much about the details. Right now he was listening carefully, even more carefully than she was. In her mind it was already Saturday, and she was standing here in her wedding dress. She was at their wedding. He was in the moment.

It occurred to her that in the movies they usually rehearsed before they shot a scene. She smiled a bit wider when she thought that in the movie of her life, this was when the players rehearsed the most important scene yet.

Chuck cast a glance at her, and then his thumb nail gave her a slight pinch and she realized she had let her mind wander. She blushed slightly, feeling ashamed that she hadn't been paying close attention to her own wedding rehearsal, and turned her full focus back on the priest.

"After the homily comes the pledge, followed by the recital of the vows."

Blair laughed, a mixture between nervousness and happiness, and gave Chuck's hand a squeeze. He smiled at her for a brief second, then his face turned serious again.

"Once you have said your vows to one another, the best man will give me the rings" Father Matt went on.

"I, uh, don't have them with me" Eric said.

"Don't worry, son. I've done this before, I don't need to rehearse the blessing of the rings."

The joke was lame, but it earned him a bit of laughter from most of the people present. Chuck was the only one who didn't even break a smile.

"Relax Bass" Blair said in a low voice, a slight smile playing on her lips.

This finally made him chuckle, and he looked away for a moment, sporting a bit of a smile when his eyes met hers again. The wedding had never felt more real to him than it did right now, and it had struck him just what a huge commitment they were about to make to one another. It didn't seem like the time to be laughing or goofing around. He saw the look on her face and wondered if she really knew what an enormous step they would be taking.

"I assume you will be having a bouquet?" Father Matt said to Blair, who nodded. "Some brides insist on holding the bouquet throughout the ceremony, but it tends to get in the way when you want to be holding hands with your groom, and when it's time to exchange rings. So at this point I recommend you hand the flowers over to someone. Maid of honor for instance."

"S?"

"I've got you covered B" Serena smiled, and gave her the thumbs up. "I've done this before. I can hold your flowers."

"Then the bride and groom will light the Unity Candle" the priest continued. "Tradition holds that they light them from candles lit by their parents, but since the groom's biological parents have gone to their rest, his adoptive mother will be doing the honors."

Serena looked over at her mother, who was sitting next to Eleanor on the front bench. Lily smiled at her and waved a little. Serena couldn't help but feel that it was weird for her mother to be playing an active part in Chuck's wedding. Six years ago the two of them had barely said two words to each other and now she was acting the role of parent. She looked over at Chuck to see if he had any immediate reaction, but his face was serious and his eyes fixed on the priest. She realized he had already known Lily would be involved, otherwise her mother wouldn't even be there.

Father Matt continued on with his rundown, with Camille jumping back in charge once they had gotten to the end of the actual ceremony. She set off on a long monologue about how Blair and Chuck would want to face the wedding guests for a while before walking back down the aisle. Blair cast a glance at Chuck. When they turned around he had let go of her hand, so she now stuck her arm under his.

"You okay there?" she asked quietly.

He leaned in closer, talking into her ear, not wanting anyone else to hear.

"This is big, Waldorf."

"As big as it gets" she agreed.

"And do you realize just _how_ big?"

"You mean how we will be bound together for life, no matter what happens, hell or high water, no matter how angry we might get at each other, no matter how difficult the road might end up being? Yeah, I realized that the moment I saw you down on one knee in the limo seven months ago. That's the whole point, isn't it? To declare to the world that we belong together and will fight as a unit, having no closer ally than each other come what may? After the 22nd you won't be able to get rid of me, Chuck. And I was really hoping I wouldn't be able to get rid of you either."

He looked at her with surprised eyes. There had been times when he had been worried that it was all about the wedding for her, with little thought to what would follow, a lifetime together. He didn't realize until know that she had been fully aware of the enormity of their upcoming commitment every single moment. Probably even more aware than he was.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek, bringing him back to the present. Camille was clapping her hands to get everyone's attention to rehearse how they would exit the cathedral, but Blair was nodding towards Father Matt. The priest walked off down the aisle and Blair followed, leading Chuck along with her. Camille continued to drill their wedding party up at the altar while Blair and Chuck followed the priest into another room.

"After you've walked down the aisle," Father Matt said, "go in here and wait for me. Give your guests a chance to walk outside and greet you when you make your exit. While you wait, I will hand you your marriage license."

"Thank you" Blair said with her loveliest smile.

"Excuse me for a moment."

The priest walked off, leaving the soon-to-be bride and groom alone. Blair jumped up on the writing desk and looked at Chuck with a smile. He was busy taking a good look at the first room they would be alone in as a married couple. A crooked smile appeared on his lips. When his eyes met hers the smile turned wider and he walked over to her. She let her fingers play with his hair while he let his arms wrap around her, but when he leaned in for a kiss she placed her hands firmly on his shoulders and pushed him away.

"Two more days…" she said.

"You can't be on your guard all the time" he said. "I will catch you off-guard and steal a kiss before Saturday."

"You can kiss my hand if you'd like."

He took her left hand in his and kissed it teasingly. His efforts to tease her went by unnoticed however, since her mind was elsewhere.

"You know, a lot of countries don't have the tradition of the father walking the bride down the aisle" she said.

"I bet you would have hated living in one of those countries."

"If I've understood it correctly the people in those countries believe it's an outdated, anti-feministic ritual for the father to give his daughter away, stemming from the time when the woman was literally taken from her father's custody and placed in her husband's on the day of the wedding."

"You googled wedding traditions around the world?"

"In these countries the bride and groom walk down the aisle together, to signify that they are together in this, and that the bride is doing it out of her own free will."

"Meanwhile in America people are more likely to wonder if the _groom_ is doing it out of his own free will. Did you also know that the tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold was originally intended to make sure she couldn't run away from the consummation of the marriage?" Chuck asked, tired of this wedding trivia.

"I can't help but think it would be so great if we could have done the same thing…" Blair said. "Walk down the aisle together."

"What? Seriously? No Harold giving you away? No seeing the groom's face when he sees the bride walk down the aisle? How does that work by the way, with the ban of seeing the wedding gown prior to the ceremony?"

"Well, I do want Daddy to give me away… At the same time though, these people who walk down the aisle together, they have each other in those moments before the wedding starts. Who better to spend those nerve-wrecking moments with than the person who's supposed to stand by your side for the rest of your life? The person you're celebrating your love and committment with!"

"I still like it better our way" Chuck said. "True we won't have the direct support of one another at those moments, but… that's what the groomsmen and bridesmaids are for. And isn't that part of the whole symbolic hoopla? To be alone, without each other, and then once we've been united at the altar we're at each other 's side?"

"I guess…" she said, and slowly rubbed his shoulders. "Still, sharing those last moments before the wedding with you… I would like that."

"How about a webcam?"

She laughed.

"You want a laptop up by the altar? Wouldn't that kill the mood during the ceremony?"

"Good point" he grinned.

"By the way, what time is it?" she asked and lifted his hand to get a look at his wrist watch. "Oh crap, we'd better hurry. I have to go home and take a shower and change before the rehearsal dinner. And no offense Bass, but you could use a shower too."

He helped her down from the writing desk and put an arm around her waist.

"Okay, let's just go find the others and tell the priest we won't be back until Saturday" he said. "And after that, he'll be rid of us for good."

"Unless he's the one to baptize our children."

"One thing at a time, Waldorf."

They walked back out to where the others were and Chuck went to find Father Matt. Blair gave Serena a hug and almost felt herself welling up.

"Only two more days" she said.

"Two more days and you won't ever be able to be maid of honor again" Serena teased.

"When you get married I'll be happy to be your _matron_ of honor" Blair replied. "Oh, what is wrong with me? Why am I feeling so… jittery?"

"Well you're smiling" Eleanor said. "Which is a good sign. Otherwise those jitters can be cold feet. But with a grin like that on your face I'm guessing it's more about excitement."

"Yes I'm glad to see he's making you so happy" Harold said.

"I still can't believe two of my friends are going to be married forty-eight hours from now" Serena said and put an arm around Blair's shoulders. "And I haven't even decided what I want to major in yet."

"We should get going" Tom said with a glance at his watch. "We haven't got that much time before the rehearsal dinner and if I know my girlfriend as well as I think I do it's going to take some time for her to get ready."

"Yeah you're even worse than I am S" Blair said.

"We should all get going" Harold said. "Blair do you want to wait for Charles?"

"No he knows I need to get a jump on things" Blair said.

"I'll wait for him" Nate said. "See you all at the rehearsal dinner tonight."

"Bye for now" Blair said, with a small wave.

She walked with Serena over to get their coats and both of them burst out laughing at the same time.

"Seriously S, can you believe any of this?" Blair said. "St. Patrick's Cathedral, me and _Chuck Bass_, married at twenty-two?"

"He's only twenty-one" Serena pointed out. "And no, frankly I can't believe it. Wasn't it just weeks ago we watched '_Four Weddings and a Funeral_' and then stole white fabric from your mother's office to wrap around us as pretend dresses?"

"Actually yes, that _was_ weeks ago" Blair giggled. "Mother did not appreciate that little revisit to childhood games."

They laughed together as they got their coats, and Blair couldn't help but skip around a bit. She was so full of excitement she could hardly contain herself. Two more days, and she would be eternally bound to Chuck. She thought back to senior year and how impossible it had seemed to get him to tell her he loved her. Back then she had been convinced that even if he did admit to having those feelings, which she after a while assumed he would only do under severe torture, he would never in his life go as far as marriage. But once he had said those words to her he had been hers completely. In two days she would have the ultimate proof of that.

* * *

The next chapter will be up sometime during the week. Have a good weekend everybody!


	22. Rehearsal Dinner

This chapter turned out to be a lot harder to write than I had expected… We don't do rehearsal dinners where I'm from and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to throw into this chapter to make it interesting. So it's on the blander side, but no matter.

In this chapter I took the liberty of citing a poem, and then had the stupidity of misplacing the source I got it from. A quick googling claimed it's called "Unconditional Love", by Father John Powell, so I hope that's correct =)

And as always, I want to thank my reviewers. You people make my day, give me inspiration and help me improve, and I cannot thank you enough!

* * *

Blair felt Chuck's hand reach for hers under the table. She smiled slightly into her salad and tangled her fingers with his. She had no idea what the food on her plate tasted like. Her nerves were far too jittery right now. He seemed much calmer than she was, even to her well-trained Bass eye. Obviously there was something wrong with him.

"How can you be so calm?" she whispered to him.

"How can you be so nervous?" he whispered back. "It's just our rehearsal dinner, my sweet. The real deal is in two days, and that's when there's reason to be nervous."

"By the time we sit down to have our wedding dinner we won't have any reason at all to be nervous anymore" she argued. "We will be married."

He grinned at her and squeezed her hand. She loved that he seemed to be as unable as she was to keep a smile from his face at the thought of them finally wed.

"You know," he said, "you have been waiting for this, looking forward to it, ever since May. I, on the other hand, have been anticipating it for over a year now."

"Ah, so that's why you don't seem to be able to find anything to get upset or stressed out over?" she said.

"I could think of a few things that upset and stress me…" he mumbled, letting go of her hand to let his hand rest far too high up on her thigh.

"Patience, my love" she said sweetly and pushed his hand away. "Two more days and I am all yours. In every single way."

"What difference does it really make if we wait exactly until our wedding day?" he argued gently. "I'm thinking a quick romp in the nearest restroom would be special enough. What do you say? I can do it without kissing you, if that's what you insist upon."

"Chuck you know I don't like wedding comedy" she said, giving him an irritated glare. "Unless of course it's about someone else's wedding."

He was about to reply when Roman clinked his glass and rose to speak. Blair's face switched back to a smile as they both turned to look at her stepfather, both secretly fearing that Roman would embark on far too long a speech.

"I was intending on speaking on the eve of the actual wedding" Roman began after giving himself a quick introduction. "But when I spoke to the toastmaster it seemed the list of speakers had already been filled, so I will have to settle for speaking now instead."

"List of speakers filled?" Blair echoed in a whisper to Chuck. "How many people do we know who would feel the need to say something?"

He just shrugged, so she turned her attention back to Roman.

"I know I can get a bit carried away sometimes when it comes to weddings" Roman said, nearly making Blair scoff out loud. "And especially so when it is my stepdaughter who is tying the knot. With this knowledge in mind, I thought I should just recite something instead of speaking directly from the heart. I heard this poem read at a wedding last year and thought it was _trés jolie_."

"Should we be thankful or scared?" Chuck jokingly whispered in Blair's ear.

"_True love is and must always be, a free gift with no conditions attached_" Roman began reciting. "_The essential message of unconditional love is one of liberation. You can be whoever you are, express all your thoughts and feelings with absolute confidence. You do not have to be fearful that love will be taken away. You will not be punished for your openness or honesty._"

Blair turned to smile at Chuck and found his eyes looking at her and a smile matching hers on his lips. She took his hand again, this time in clear view on the table, not caring that they had probably crossed well into sickeningly sweet territory by now.

"_There is no admission price to love, no rental fees or installment payments to be made._" Roman went on. "_There may be days when disagreements and disturbing emotions may come between you. There may be times when thoughts or physical miles may lie between you. But you have given each other the word of your commitment. You have set your life on a new course. You should not go back on your word to each other. So feel free to be yourselves. One thing we all know and should share with each other...we are committed to each other's growth and happiness._"

Roman paused for a moment and lifted his glass for a toast. The rest of the dinner guests did the same.

"_Above all else, never take each other for granted and always love each other, because true love is unconditional._"

He nodded at the bride and groom and then took a deep sip from his champagne. Chuck clinked his glass to Blair's and they both took a sip before putting their glasses back down. Blair made sure to catch Roman's eyes and mouth a "thank you". She had heard the poem before, and secretly thought it fitted well with her and Chuck. She was happy to have someone recite it for them, since that made it almost an official truth.

"If I had any hopes for a sap-free wedding I suppose I should let those hopes die here and now" Chuck said as he continued to work on his dinner.

"Kill them right here and now" Blair agreed. "I want romance. Fluffy poems and tear-eyed parents giving speeches and the whole nine yards. If there is a single eye dry in the house by the time we cut the cake I will have Dorota chop onions in front of them."

"I always thought people who had too sweet weddings were deluded" Chuck told her. "All that cutie-wutie stuff… I've never seen it as _real_. Love poems are great, but I never believed people could actually feel that strong, intoxicating love that the poems speak of twenty-four seven. And you can't, 'cause you wouldn't be able to function properly if you did. Whenever that peak comes over me I can't work, eat, sleep or even carry a conversation with anyone but you. Let's just say you've been bad for business on more than one occasion. But I must admit some of the stuff in Roman's recital did feel like us."

"Aw, which parts?" Blair said, hoping he would go off on one of his love monologues.

"Which parts? Hm, let's see… The part about finding true love means finding liberation. I never thought I'd find a woman stupid enough to care for me even when I'm showing her my real, true self."

"That's romantic, and insulting, all at the same time."

He grinned and was about to continue when another person clinked his glass to say something. Blair smiled slightly as Chuck glanced at his food.

"We're never going to get to actually eat this, are we?"

"Doesn't matter to me" Blair said. "I'm barely aware if I'm eating or not."

"This glass clinking is getting annoying" Chuck said. "I'm actually glad we're having a toastmaster tomorrow. Someone who can make sure we at least get to eat between everyone wanting to say something."

"Just smile and sneak a bite or two whenever the person talking says something poignant" Blair whispered as the speaker began to talk. "Usually people look at the speaker in those moments."

Chuck nodded and stabbed a cucumber with his fork while listening to the speech. He caught Camille's eye and motioned for her to come over to them. He wasn't as big on the endless speeches as he knew Blair was, and would like to limit them to as few as possible during the rehearsal dinner. The wedding reception was one thing, but if he didn't get to eat tonight he had a feeling he wouldn't be the most pleasant person around.

-

Later that evening he tried dancing with Blair, but soon had to give up. After the third time they had begun to dance, only to be interrupted by someone who wanted to dance with the bride using the words: "From Saturday on she will be all yours, so give the rest of us a chance tonight", he had left her to the dance-wolves and went to sit down with his groomsmen.

"Call me crazy, but I was under the impression that this week was supposed to be all about me, my bride and our relationship" he said, taking a seat.

"You're crazy" Aaron said. "But you're also right."

"Yet every two seconds someone is coming up to interfere" Chuck noted. "I'm not even able to dance with my fiancée without everyone and his brother wanting to butt in. Trust me when I tell you that if one more person starts talking about how it's their last chance to do this or that with her before she's forever bound to me, I might down a pitcher of scotch just to be able to stomach all of it. Or empty a pitcher of scotch over the idiot who said it."

"Better they butt in now than on Saturday" Nate argued.

"Yeah, because on Saturday you're going to be even more annoyed when someone wants to steal her away for a dance" Eric said.

"It really is a lot like a rehearsal of a wedding reception" Chuck noted. "All the speeches, the dancing…"

"Aren't you guys supposed to give a speech?" Tom asked. "Thanking those who've helped organize the whole thing?"

"Camille thought we should end the night with that" Chuck said. "She says it's usually a good way of telling everyone to give it up and go home to get some sleep before the wedding. Our wedding isn't tomorrow, but I've never been big on rehearsal dinners anyway so I don't mind having a certain point where I can tell everyone to consider themselves both thanked and dismissed."

Tom frowned, still far from convinced that he actually liked Serena's adoptive brother. Most of the time he found himself wondering why Serena liked him, since she seemed to spend most of her time complaining about him.

"The person we most need to thank tonight is Lily" Chuck said. "If she hadn't offered to throw the rehearsal dinner I don't know what we would have done. Luckily she knows all about how annoying it truly is to have to plan a wedding even without having to organize an additional dinner right before."

"She was happy to do it" Eric said. "Although slightly less happy once Grandma arrived and insisted on helping out. I think Mom's original plan was to be able to avoid Grandma thanks to the rehearsal dinner taking up her time."

"If I know Cece that plan only worked for about five seconds" Chuck said.

"Five seconds? Try a second and a half."

"So what are you guys doing tomorrow?" Aaron asked. "Usually the day before the wedding is when you do all the stuff you've done today."

"My plan was to annoy all the people preparing for the reception" Chuck said with a slight laugh. "Make sure everything is in order. Hassle Camille, move floral arrangements until they are perfectly centered on the table, complain about anything they might not be doing one hundred percent perfectly…"

"Are those your plans or Blair's plans?" Nate asked.

"My plans. Blair is spending the day with Serena and Dorota at a high class spa, in a futile attempt to calm her nerves. I find my nerves to be a lot calmer when I have the opportunity to boss people around and keep an eye on things."

"And yet you've been laying very low with this whole planning process" Serena remarked as she came up and sat down on Tom's lap.

"I don't care much what kind of flowers are in the arrangements" Chuck said. "I do however care that the people we've hired to set everything up put said arrangements in their perfect place."

"Won't it be more fun not to have seen the whole thing before you arrive at the reception?" Serena asked, running her hand through Tom's hair.

"Not if they haven't done a perfect job."

"I think when I get married I'm just gonna hire the Basses as my wedding planning team" Serena decided. "Two of the most anal, controlling, ruthless people in the entire world. And now with the actual experience of planning a wedding from start to finish."

"You'd better pay us really good money, sis" Chuck said, grabbing a drink from a waiter passing by. "I'm convinced the work is not worth it unless your own wedding is the payoff. Wedding planners are masochists by nature."

"Like I said, you guys would be perfect for the job."

She laughed and skipped up to her feet. She walked over to Chuck and did a little twirl before extending her hand to him.

"Now come on" she said. "I don't think I've danced with you since the sixth grade."

"I think we're supposed to dance on Saturday. Groom and maid of honor" he said.

"Then let's rehearse!"

He couldn't help but chuckle a little. He took the hand she had extended to him and walked with her to the dance floor. As they began to dance together he looked around to see where Blair was, and whose arms were guiding her on the dance floor. He finally spotted her, dancing with Roman, and he relaxed a bit. This whole week was supposed to be about them and he didn't like it when she disappeared from his sight.

"Now seems like a good time to give you a little maid of honor pep-talk" Serena suddenly said against his shoulder.

"I knew there was some reason you wanted to dance."

"It's nothing major really" Serena said. "Just that I want you to try and keep your perversions to an absolute minimum so that Blair can have some innocence left in her, and if you hurt my best friend in any way I will make sure you suffer for it."

"Okay. Then I'll make sure to only hurt her when the two of you are in one of your hate phases."

"Hey" she said, smacking him hard on the arm.

"Ow, don't smack the groom. I was being sarcastic. You know I would never want to hurt her. I want her to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for her."

"Well, through some strange twist of fate you really do make her happy" Serena acknowledged. "And she does the same for you. I'm really very happy for you guys."

"I know sis."

She leaned back a bit so that their eyes could meet and they shared a smile. Serena opened her mouth to say something but found herself interrupted by someone tapping her shoulder.

"Serena" Blair's voice said. "This is one man you won't be charming away from me. Now hand him back."

Serena laughed and wiped a little tear from the corner of her eye as Blair gently pushed her aside and took her place in Chuck's arms.

"Are you weeping?" Blair asked, turning her eyes away from Chuck for a moment. "I was being bitchy, not sentimental."

"You being bitchy makes everyone else sentimental" Chuck commented.

"B I don't think I could have ever stolen Chuck even if I wanted to" Serena said, weirdly moved. "He's only ever had eyes for you."

"Pull yourself together" Blair said, refusing to let on that she was moved. "Save those tears for Saturday."

She then forgot all about Serena and turned her head back to face Chuck. His smile almost made her feel a bit weepy too, but she couldn't very well let that show just seconds after scolding Serena.

"I had given up on getting to dance with you tonight" he said softly.

"I figured the best way was to steal you towards the latter half of a song" she said. "Not much point for anyone else to try and cut in now."

"Don't tell me you're not enjoying it" he smiled. "All the attention… Everyone wanting to talk to you, dance with you…"

"It's not nearly as satisfying as I had imagined" she confessed. "It's weird. All my life I've dreamed of being at the center of attention, truly the queen during the whole celebration of my wedding. And yet… all I want to do is dance with you like I always do."

"Call me crazy, but that might have something to do with the fact that this whole thing is in celebration of us" he said, teasing her.

"And boy is that something to celebrate" she replied, refusing to be teased.

He couldn't think of anything clever to say to that, and settled for not saying anything at all. She leaned her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, while he let his chin and part of his cheek rest softly against the top of her head. The song was almost over. Soon the night would be too.

"It's gone by so fast already" she sighed, apparently on the same trail of thoughts as him. "We're already nearing the end of our rehearsal dinner."

"This isn't the real part" he said. "The real part is when we've made our commitment and we're celebrating it. This… This is just some mandatory thing for those who helped organize the wedding and for those who feel they're flying in an awfully long way just for one night's celebration."

"It's a practice run" she said. "But it's part of having a wedding and I want to enjoy it as much as I can."

"Strange tradition, really" he mumbled. "First we do a condense version of what we'll be doing on the actual wedding, then have a condensed version of the evening following. I think it's a bit redundant to be doing it twice."

"You're just cranky since you didn't get to finish your dinner before it got cold" she smiled.

"That too."

"Chuck…"

"Mmm?"

"The song is over."

He realized she was right and reluctantly broke their formation. He wanted to kiss her so badly but settled for resting his forehead against hers for a moment. He wanted to keep holding her but some jerk showed up and declared his desires to steal the bride for a dance, so he had no choice but to put a fake smile on his face and let her go.

Chuck let his eyes follow her as she was lead off to dance another dance and thanked his lucky star that this song wasn't a slow song, seeing as how the elderly politician who had just borrowed his fiancée was looking at her far too hungrily. With a sigh he returned to his friends and sat down to have another drink. He couldn't wait for this night to be over.

He knew Blair was enjoying herself immensely, caught up in the whole wedding circus and feeling that the rehearsal dinner was an important part of it. To him it was just a prolonged waiting period. He wanted the real thing to happen already, sitting through this light version was getting more and more tedious. It reminded him how they were so close now, but it still felt too far off.

"Try at least to look like you're not hating this" Cece's voice suddenly mumbled in his ear.

He looked up, surprised. He hadn't seen or heard her come up to the table.

"Some dirty old man is putting his hands all over her and calling it dancing" he replied. "I think I'm supposed to hate it."

"That's what they will be doing for the rest of your life, whenever the two of you go to some official event."

"Excellent…"

"Try smiling, dear" Cece advised, grabbing his drink casually. "Remember, everyone is looking at you."

"I heard you drove Lily nuts preparing this dinner" he shot back, kind of annoyed at this woman who had an unnerving ability to see through him.

"And I sure can't say that it was worth it if you're going to be sporting that look on your face" she retorted.

He couldn't help but chuckle.

"It bothers me that this is supposed to be our night and I can't get two minutes alone with her" he said.

"There's a reason for that" Cece argued. "Do you know what newlyweds tend to do when they get a moment to themselves?"

"We're not newlyweds yet."

"Affianced people are just as bad" she claimed and sat down on the empty chair next to him. "Especially so close to the wedding."

"Oh I promise you Grandma', I would be a perfect gentleman" he grinned, saying the word '_grandma_' in a way he knew she hated. "I don't need her in a secluded room. I just hate the fact that whenever I try to as much as stand next to her someone insists on butting in."

"Oh let her have her day in the limelight" Cece said good-naturedly. "She might be the rare case who never gets to do all of this again. Either way, a girl's first wedding is always the most special one. You simply can't make the same fuss the second time around."

"I'd rather not talk about any future weddings Blair might have" Chuck said and grabbed his drink back from her.

"I didn't mean to imply that you will end up divorced" Cece said with a smile. "You might die young. Oh relax Charles, I am only teasing you."

"Death humor" Chuck noted. "Perfect for a wedding rehearsal."

Camille came up to him and he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this was the right time to round off the evening.

He spoke to Camille for a minute, then rose to catch Blair between dances. He wanted at least one more moment of her in his arms before they called the evening finished and went their separate ways.

"Try relaxing, Charles…" Cece said. "Before you know it this whole thing will be over and you will have only memories of it. Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Honestly… I don't care about this part" he said. "What I care about is what happens on Saturday. And the sooner this night is over, the sooner I can go to bed and the sooner Saturday can be here."

He walked off to get Blair, leaving his drink with Cece. She shook her head slightly and smiled at the ways of young people in love.

* * *

I'll try to update again before the weekend. Have a great day, thanks for reading =)


	23. Dinner

I know people are eager to get to the wedding, but this chapter is kind of an in-betweener. I wanted to do something with a little NJBC touch and this is what I came up with. Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

The restaurant was nice and quiet, and their table secluded. They had picked it because they knew the atmosphere and decorating at that place always made you feel like you were alone and not surrounded by a couple of dozens of other people having dinner. Chuck and Blair sat on one side of the table, Nate and Serena on the other, and they had just finished ordering. Serena, Blair and Chuck were sipping on their wine while Nate chewed on some grissini, which Blair claimed made him sound remarkably like a wood chipper.

"I can't believe tomorrow is the big day" Nate said, ignoring her comment. "Chuck and Blair… Mr. and Mrs. Bass. Go back in time and tell that to one of us in high school and we wouldn't have believed it."

"I still can't believe it" Blair said and gave Chuck her widest smile.

"I don't think any of us would have believed any of the stuff that have happened with us in the past five years or so" Serena commented.

"You know, guys…" Blair said and slowly rocked her wine glass. "In a way I'm glad we had to have the rehearsal yesterday. Having dinner tonight, just the four of us, the Non-Judging Breakfast Club… I cannot imagine a more perfect way of spending the evening before our wedding."

The other three smiled at her. She was right. This was really nice. There was something special about being just the four of them, and it happened so rarely these days.

"Do you think things will change after tomorrow?" Serena asked thoughtfully.

"God I hope so" Chuck said.

"No I mean with us… They say that married couples tend to drift apart from their unmarried friends."

"I think that's couples with children who drift away from their friends who have none" Blair argued.

"I don't see why anything would change" Chuck agreed with her. "Just because Blair and I now will be fully committed to each other, and soon be moving into our own _real_ home, that doesn't mean the four of us won't hang out."

"The four of us rarely _do_ hang out" Nate commented. "Not all of us together, I mean, just the four of us. Come on Serena, why would anything have to change?"

"Well it's just, they will be having different priorities now" Serena said. "Focusing on their new life together. Planning for those kids who will drive us apart if the marriage doesn't."

"You mean your nieces and nephews?" Blair commented. "I will be your legal family member as of tomorrow and you're worried about us growing apart? The only one who has reason to be worried is Nate."

Nate paused his chewing and gave her a surprised look.

"Me? What are you talking about?"

"Chuck, Serena and I will all be related" Blair pointed out. "But you, you have no tangible ties to anyone so you would be the natural pick if someone had to go."

"Blair" Chuck groaned.

"Especially when you will no longer be living with Chuck" Blair continued, ignoring her fiancé's tone.

"Thank you Serena" Nate said. "I am oh so glad you decided to bring this subject up. _Now_ I feel worried."

"Nobody is going to drift apart from anybody" Chuck said with a sigh. "Look, Blair may be my wife from tomorrow on, but what does that really have to do with the four of us being friends? If anything you two should be glad Blair and I are marrying each other. When you guys decide to marry Tom and Mary, or whoever you end up getting hitched to, the foursome will truly be broken."

"You're going to have to marry each other" Blair told Nate and Serena firmly.

"Okay, I'm sorry for bringing this up" Serena said and raised her hands in a sign of surrender. "Can we please go back to not talking about drifting apart? And Blair, no talking obsessively about the wedding. You know the deal."

Blair made a face at her but kept quiet and sipped her wine. The other three had made her swear on her favorite headband that she would not breathe a word about the wedding arrangements during their evening out.

"How are you doing with the nerves?" Nate asked the couple across the table.

"The wine helps" Chuck answered.

"Valium would help even more" Blair added.

"You look fairly calm…" Nate said.

"I feel like a seven year-old on the night before Christmas" Blair said. "A seven year-old who is responsible for planning Christmas and needs everything to go off perfectly without a hinge in the plans."

"Relax Blair" Chuck said. "You've been annoyingly meticulous. And Camille has proven to be a rock. Everything _will_ go off perfectly."

"Well I can tell you one thing" Blair said. "After this whole ordeal I definitely know I never want to get married ever again."

"Reassuring" Chuck said.

"It's just so hard to relax when basically everything I've done these past six months boils down to what happens tomorrow" she continued. "What if we missed something? What if something happens that makes the whole thing a disaster?"

"Stop worrying about the damn reception" Nate sighed. "Didn't you get the memo? It's the _ceremony_ that actually matters."

"I'm not nervous about that" Blair said. "I'm excited. I've never felt like I've had any reason to worry about the ceremony. But if all I wanted was the ceremony then we wouldn't be having a big wedding to begin with."

"I thought the deal was to not talk about any of this" Chuck said.

"He brought it up" Blair argued.

"Feel free to talk about anything relating to the actual ceremony" Nate said. "I just don't want to hear anything regarding anything Camille might have lent a hand in."

"Fine" Blair said, giving him a grumpy look.

They went silent for a moment while their first course was served, along with a round of drinks. Once the waiter was gone Chuck lifted his glass.

"A toast then" he said. "Here's to… the four of us. Dysfunctional, often at each other's throats yet here we are tonight, the evening before Blair's and my wedding."

"And here's to sticking together in the future" Nate said, lifting his glass.

"No more wedding talk after tomorrow" Serena chimed in, lifting hers.

"A new Mrs. Bass" Blair added, lifting hers as well.

They clinked their glasses and took a sip from their drinks. Blair and Chuck shared a smile and let their fingers play with each other on the table. Serena gave them a gushy look.

"Oh, I'm so going to cry tomorrow, I just know I am" she said, almost welling up just talking about it.

"For good reasons only I hope" Chuck said dryly.

"I usually cry at weddings" Blair said. "Tomorrow I will try to resist. Nobody likes a bride with makeup all over her face."

"You're not going with the winning mascara?" Serena asked.

Blair had gathered her bridesmaids, minus Dorota, all of her minions and a few girls from her sorority to test different mascaras and find which one was most resistant to water. The test had been scientifically conducted by each girl wearing one of the candidate mascaras, and all of them then watching "_Sophie_'_s Choice_".

"Come on, what is there to be crying about?" Chuck asked.

"Crying is for funerals, not weddings" Nate agreed.

"No!" Serena passionately objected. "Weddings are as much reason to cry as funerals. Only the reason for the tears are different."

"Usually" Blair added.

"Women just cry over the strangest things" Chuck decided.

"Oh really?" his fiancée said.

"Yes really."

Blair scoffed and turned to Serena.

"He mocks me endlessly because I cry at the end of '_Atonement_', yet he sobs like a baby who's dropped its baba whenever America wins something during the Olympics, or at any other stupid sporting event."

"I do not" Chuck objected.

"Oh yes you do. One moron manages to pass the finish line first and you're all…" She began to make blubbering noises and fake sob. "It's… just… so… impressive…"

"I do not sound like that."

"Please" Blair said, then turned to a highly amused Nate. "And why are you laughing? You're even worse than he is."

"Oh my God, I am so coming over to the Bass residence the next time the Olympics come around" Serena laughed.

"You can also stop by during Superbowl" Blair told her.

"Okay, enough" Chuck said. "Blair, stop talking and finish your caviar."

"I'm kind of wishing I had ordered something else" Blair admitted, casting a glance at the caviar on her plate.

"Want some of my calamari?" Chuck asked.

"Hey how about once dinner is finished we go rent '_Mighty Ducks_' and see who blubbers first?" Serena laughed. "Oh, or '_Cool Runnings_'!"

"Serena, stop laughing or get Blair's caviar in your hair."

Serena kept giggling, but obediently turned her focus to her food. The conversation drifted over to other topics, which by the time dessert was served had led to a stroll down memory lane.

"Oh my God, do you remember that weekend we all spent together at Chuck's father's Hamptons house when we were twelve?" Nate asked. "Bart wasn't there, only some weird Austrian housekeeper who didn't speak any English, so we took one of Bart's credit cards and went wild at the supermarket."

"Our first experience grocery shopping" Serena laughed. "Bonding by collectively losing our supermarket virginities…"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it _grocery_ shopping though" Blair objected with a giggle. "I don't think we bought anything that would qualify as food."

"We did however buy enough candy, pastries and snacks to sustain us for a full month" Chuck remembered. "And I think we only ate a little of it before we were so sick to our stomachs that we didn't want to see another Twinkie for as long as we lived."

"Which we had already forgotten the next day" Nate grinned. "Remember when Serena dropped a full bottle of Fanta into the pool right after she had gotten the cap off?"

"That's how we learned the housekeeper at least knew how to say 'My God' in English" Blair remembered.

"If I had only known that five years later I would be spending summer there as daughter of the house I would have been more careful" Serena claimed.

"And we had a movie marathon" Nate said. "We played this game in the pool with one of the pool floats, where whoever managed to remain standing on it for more than five seconds got to decide what we were going to watch."

"And someone refused to play fair" Blair said, casting Chuck a glance.

"If you can't remain standing when someone is rocking the float then that's really not my fault, is it?" he replied with a smile.

"How did we even get our parents to agree to let us go there for the weekend?" Blair tried to remember.

"Well Bart wasn't there and I think Mom was away with one of her lovers" Serena said. "And wasn't Nate already in the Hamptons with his parents?"

"And my mother probably wasn't paying attention to such details as 'will there be a grownup there?'" Blair noted. "Geez, I'm going to be watching my kids like a hawk. Just think of what _we_ were like when we were little. Given who my children's father is going to be they're bound to be lying, conniving little brats requiring complete supervision."

"Yes but by keeping too close an eye on them you will be denying them memories like the ones we have from that weekend" Serena pointed out.

"Yeah but that weekend was hazardous" Nate said. "Not only did we not eat a single thing that was actually _good_ for us, we stayed up at all hours, played around in the pool without supervision, fiddled with the fireplace and at one point played tag out on the streets. God knows what could have happened."

"In all fairness, that sounds like something we could probably do this summer too" Chuck commented. "Just replace 'eat' with 'drink'."

"I take it vacationing at your house is going to mean lots of good times" Serena said.

"Will you be taking over the Hamptons house now that you'll be married?" Nate asked.

"No my father left it to Lily in his will" Chuck said. "Either way I'm not sure I'd want it. And there's this other house there that Blair has got her eye on."

"If only the idiots currently inhabiting it would go ahead and sell already" Blair sighed. "This summer I'm going to put extra effort into making them realize that I need that house a lot more than they do."

"The current owners aren't selling" Chuck explained.

"I don't see why not" Blair griped. "All this talk about how it's been in their family for generations… They don't even stay out there! I had your PI check. They haven't been there for at least fifteen months."

"From one season to another, do you remember the ski trip we took the first winter of high school?" Nate asked.

"I remember freezing my butt off in the ski lift" Serena said.

"Suit yourself for going for fashionable over warm with your skiing outfit" Chuck commented dryly. "Even Blair was smarter than that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blair snorted. "Even Blair?"

"Well I would rather freeze fashionably than be warm and cozy in something out of style" Serena claimed. "Besides, I was fairly warm going downhill."

"I remember that we snuck out late in the evening with snow racers and climbed far too high in the slopes and then raced downhill" Blair said. "I also remember that I almost collided with a tree because I got too much snow in my eyes and couldn't see where I was going. If Nate hadn't hollered out to me I would have probably ended the evening in an emergency room."

"Our kids may not inherit proper manners and a saint like behavior from me, but I sure hope they don't inherit their survival instincts from their mother" Chuck smirked.

"We should go skiing again this winter" Serena said. "Once you guys get back from your honeymoon."

"Make that next winter, sis" Chuck said. "This winter I'm losing enough work hours with the wedding and honeymoon."

"Work hours?" Nate echoed. "You sound like you're a drone at some firm, not just a guy who runs around owning stuff."

"You'd be surprised at how much work comes with running around owning stuff."

"Why can't we go skiing this winter?" Blair asked. "We don't have to make it a whole week. How about just a weekend in Aspen?"

"Question. Will that be just the four of us going, or will your bedfellows be tagging along?" Chuck asked Serena and Nate.

"I see your point" Blair nodded.

"What?" Serena said. "What point?"

"Skiing trip just the four of us? Sounds great. Skiing trip the four of us plus Tom and Mary? Sounds okay at best."

"I guess when she said we have to marry each other she wasn't kidding" Serena noted to Nate.

"No I wasn't" Blair confirmed. "Besides, if you marry each other then all four of us will be related."

"It's not happening Blair" Nate smiled. "Move on. Accept defeat."

"Yeah, 'cause we're good at that" Chuck said with rolling eyes and put an arm around Blair.

"Should we order in another bottle of wine?" Nate asked.

"I would love to say yes" Chuck said. "But tomorrow is an important day and the last thing I want is to wake up with a wine hangover. It's getting late, perhaps we should just ask for the check and call it a night."

-

Twenty minutes later Chuck and Blair walked slowly side by side down the street. Serena and Nate were walking about twenty yards ahead of them. Chuck and Blair had both slowed their pace a bit to get some privacy from the other two.

"So this is it" Blair said, leaning her head on his shoulders for a few seconds. "The night before our wedding."

"We've waited for long enough" he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. "After tomorrow…"

"After tomorrow what?"

"After tomorrow childhood will officially be over. We will no longer be one half of a four man band, four kids who go crazy in the Hamptons and who go clubbing until the wee hours of the morning. We'll be husband and wife. That's serious."

"It is what we make it to be" she argued. "The only thing that has to change and be more serious is our commitment to each other. How we handle things, settle issues, and above all the decisions we make about our future. Who says two married people can't be the ones to show New York City what it really means to go out and have a good time? Or load up the fridge with sweets and snacks and have movie marathons with our best friends? The only thing that's going to change is the way we look at each other. Husband and wife…"

He kissed the top of her head and sighed.

"It's almost a bit of a shame that it will all be over in one night" he remarked. "All the planning, all the preparations… for just one day, one evening."

"Are you kidding Bass? It won't be over after tomorrow. It will only just be beginning."

"I wish I could tell you… how much tomorrow means to me" he said.

"But that's the beauty of it. Of us. You don't have to tell me because I already know."

He smiled slightly and stopped walking. Serena and Nate had both stopped at the next street corner, waiting for them to catch up. This was where they would be parting ways. Blair and Serena going to the Waldorf-Rosen penthouse, Chuck and Nate to the Empire.

"You don't _really_ know" he argued in response to her last comment. "What you have done for me is something I could never do for you in return. Thankfully."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Tomorrow isn't just about the future, it's about the past, and what got us to this point" he said. "And looking back on our past… Blair I don't even think I would be alive if it hadn't been for you."

She laughed a little, unsure of how to react.

"That's sweet…"

"No it's the truth. If you hadn't come for me that night at Victrola after my father's death I might have jumped, or at least not tried not to fall. And even if I had simply gotten down from the ledge and returned to the party, you've stilled saved my life. Without you I would probably have drank myself into full-blown alcoholism sooner or later, or developed a serious drug habit. I was on the road towards that when I fell for you. The way I feel about you is what kept me from going too far with those things. I've learned that when things are good between us, you have the same effect as alcohol or drugs, only in a much better way."

"Did you just compare me to marijuana?" Blair asked with a frown.

"I'm telling you that you made me want to be a better person. Someone worthy of you."

"You are" she said.

"And I wish this stupid language had the words I would need to tell you just how much I love you."

"You tell me… Even if it's not in words."

He cast a glance over at Serena and Nate and reluctantly pulled the reins on the speech he wanted to embark on.

"We should get going" he said. "There will be a whole lifetime to have this conversation in after tomorrow."

Blair wrapped both her arms around Chuck's waist and smiled at him.

"This is the last time…" she said and began to laugh happily. "The last time we see each other before our wedding. Are you as excited as I am?"

"I can't wait" he smiled, laughing slightly too.

She leaned in to kiss him, instinctively, and he stopped her with a finger to her lips before she could reach her goal. He laughed again.

"Patience, my beloved. Less than twenty-four hours to go. I will see you tomorrow at the altar, and I will kiss you then."

"I love you" she said and kissed the tip of his nose.

Her hands left his waist, catching his hand in hers while she began to walk towards Serena. He remained where he stood, his hand touching hers for as long as it could before she had walked too far away. Nate slowly began to walk back to Chuck, giving Blair's arm a squeeze as they passed each other. Once he reached Chuck he turned and the both of them watched Serena throw an arm around Blair's shoulders and walk off with her.

Blair turned her head, flashed them her brightest smile, then shot Chuck an air kiss and a little wave before turning her head back again. Chuck smiled, not letting his eyes leave her until she and Serena had disappeared. He then turned to look at a smiling Nate, who gave his shoulder a pat.

"Come on buddy" Nate said. "Let's go home. Our last night as roommates. Ever. Hopefully."

Chuck couldn't hold back a laugh and let Nate lead the way. They walked all the way back to the Empire, barely speaking a word to each other along the way. They didn't have anything big planned for this last night of being two unmarried men, since they both had to get up early for the big day tomorrow. Just having a drink of scotch together before heading off to bed would have to suffice.

"I'm proud of you, man" Nate said as they approached the hotel.

"Thanks" Chuck smiled.

"No, I mean it. You've come a long way. And you're going to make a person I care so much about very, very happy for the rest of her life."

Chuck's smile got a bit wider.

"It means a lot" he said. "Now let's go upstairs and have that drink. And let's both remember that we're guys, and leave the sobbing and the sentimentalities up to the ladies."

"I almost wish we had a webcam so we could spy on the two of them" Nate grinned.

"I have taught you well, Nathaniel."

They both started laughing as they walked inside the hotel and headed for the elevators. They shared a look and Chuck took a deep, nervous breath and cast a glance at his watch. Sixteen hours to go.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review =) I'll try to update tomorrow.


	24. Before

And so we arrive at the actual wedding day… Thanks for being with me so far; I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have =)

And thanks again to my reviewers. You guys are the best!

Special thanks to **bonafide11 **for noticing my blooper in the last chapter. It's been corrected now, thanks a bunch =)

* * *

Serena braced herself, taking a deep breath before stepping into the room at St. Patrick's where Blair was getting herself ready. The scenario she had been dreaming nightmares about for the better part of two months now had ended up happening. She had to deliver bad news to Blair with less than an hour to go before the ceremony would start.

She walked inside the room and caught a sight of the bride in the mirror. Blair looked like she was trembling a bit, but then took a deep breath and let a smile far more confident than she probably felt spread across her face. That smile would not be there for long, Serena knew.

"Blair…" she said.

"There you are Serena" Eleanor said and hurried over to her. "Please help us talk some sense into Blair about this whole veil thing."

"Sure" Serena said. "But first I… need to tell Blair some other things."

"Like what?" Blair asked, carefully examining her makeup in the mirror.

Serena hesitated for a second. The smile on Blair's face had somehow turned from masking worry to excitedly happy. The last thing she wanted was to take that smile off her face. But there was nothing else to do. She searched for her mother's eyes and found them, slightly comforted by knowing that if Blair freaked out completely then at least Serena would be able to run and hide behind Mommy.

"Blair listen, I have some news" she said.

The tone in her voice made everyone stop for a second. The twin who had been selected to be a bridesmaid more or less hid behind a piece of furniture while the rest of the women in the room all held their breaths as Blair let her eyes meet Serena's in the mirror.

"A few things, actually" Serena continued, and saw Dorota cross herself in the corner of her eye. "First of all I ran into Camille and the bakery called. They said they wouldn't be able to deliver the cake until halfway through the reception. Bad weather."

"Okay" Blair said, sounding weirdly calm.

"Second… The garter you had picked out for today… We can't find it."

"What do you mean?" Blair frowned. "I put it in a little bag along with the dress, the jewelry, the jacket and the veil. How can you not find it?"

"I know where you put it" Serena said. "But it's not there anymore. We had it when we walked out the door this morning but it didn't make it here. And it's not in the car either, which means it's probably… out in the snow somewhere."

"Out in the snow?" Eleanor echoed, sounding a bit shocked.

"How are we supposed to find it if it's somewhere in the snow?" the twin gasped.

"I don't think we can" Serena said. "Blair I'm sorry, but… it looks like you're going to have to do this without a garter."

"Dorota" Blair said.

"Yes Miss Blair?"

"Hurry to the Empire suite and get my purple lace garter. It's somewhere in the top of the third top drawer from the left in our bedroom. Chuck has a weird thing for that garter and it will work as a substitute."

"But that garter you had chosen was your 'something old'" Serena objected. "Didn't you say it was from the nineteenth century?"

"I cannot believe it's been lost in the snow!" Eleanor fretted.

"Take it easy Mother" Blair said, alarmingly calm. "We will find it. But not in time for the wedding, so Dorota, hurry up! And don't get your dress wet or dirty!"

"Yes Miss Blair" Dorota said and was out the door two seconds later.

"Well then what about your 'something old'?" Serena asked.

"Here" Lily said and unclasped the bracelet she was wearing. "This belonged to my paternal grandmother. That's definitely old enough, and it goes wonderfully with your dress."

"Thank you Lily, but I can't accept that" Blair said. "I already have 'something borrowed' and all the other stuff should be things that belong to me."

"You keep it" Lily said and placed it around Blair's wrist before she could protest.

"Mom!" Serena gasped disapprovingly.

"No, I couldn't" Blair objected.

"Blair" Eleanor said. "It's a darling bracelet."

"It's also an heirloom" Blair pointed out.

"It is indeed" Serena said with a firm glance at her mother.

"It's too precious to be given away to anyone but Serena" Blair added.

"It is indeed" Serena repeated.

"Yes, but Charles is my son" Lily said. "And you will be my daughter-in-law. I would like for his wife to have something from me, since his birthmother can't be here to bestow anything. And with how close you and Serena have always been I have always viewed you like an extra daughter of sorts."

"Thank you" Blair said and hugged Lily tight.

Serena frowned and was about to protest, but kept her mouth shut when she saw the tears in Blair's eyes. She had had her own sights set on that bracelet for years but there was not much to do about it now. Even if it did feel wrong that it would end up belonging to the woman Chuck married, even if that woman was Blair.

"Okay, now that that little crisis has been averted, let's discuss the veil, shall we?" Eleanor said.

"Actually I wasn't finished" Serena said.

"God, what else?" Eleanor sighed.

"The soloist who was supposed to sing '_One Hand, One Heart_' and '_Love Changes Everything_' during the ceremony… won't be able to make it. She slipped on some ice and broke her wrist and two ribs about an hour ago. She just called Camille from the emergency room."

She held her breath and waited for Blair's inevitable eruption. No doubt she would scream and shout something about how incredibly selfish this girl was for hurting herself on the very day when she was supposed to sing at a very important wedding.

"Anything else?" Blair asked, alarmingly calm.

"Well… Tom called and can't find his tie, so he might end up late or tie-less. And the floral piece you asked for by the altar hasn't arrived yet, and probably won't."

Blair nodded slowly.

"Okay."

"What? Okay? That's it?"

"Well are you finished?"

"I think the things I've already said are bad news enough each by themselves" Serena said, knowing it was unwise to goad the beast but unable to stop herself. "How can you sound so calm? You've been freaking out over shades of white and the number of petals on the roses for the centerpieces. You should be freaking out now!"

"You know what, forget about helping out with the veil" Eleanor sighed. "Serena just get out of here for now, before you really get her upset."

"I'm not freaking out" Blair calmly said.

"But you should be!" Serena argued.

"It's my wedding day" Blair said. "All I care about is that Chuck becomes my husband. So long as he shows up, says '_I do_' and Father Matt pronounces us husband and wife, I don't care about any of that other stuff."

Serena shared a shocked look with everyone else in the room.

"You… might have wanted to take that stance starting seven months ago" Serena couldn't help but say.

"I'm done fretting. I fretted all these months to get everything as perfect as possible, so that today all I have to care about is the man waiting for me at the end of that aisle."

"I don't think he's actually standing by the altar just yet" the twin said stupidly.

"Stop saying stupid things, or your clone will be hopping into that dress instead" Blair said, shooting her an evil look.

"Okay, now what can we do about the rest?" Lily said, in one of her efficient moods. "Serena you said the soloist won't be able to make it."

"That's right."

"Where can we find a replacement on such short notice?"

"Blair doesn't one of your new mean girls know how to sing?" Serena asked.

"I don't know" Blair said.

"Well let's call and find out" Serena said. "Twin, you have all the mean girls' numbers, right? Call…"

"Cassandra" the twin filled in.

"Right, Cassandra. Call her and ask if she's interested. And if she knows the two songs in question."

"Nonsense" Eleanor said. "We're calling a professional. Bridesmaid girl, go find Camille and have her wave her magic wand and produce us a soloist, and _quick._"

The twin scurried off to find Camille. Blair picked up the phone she had left behind on a table and handed it to Serena.

"Give Cassandra a call anyway so we have someone on standby" she said.

Serena stepped out to make the call and Blair gave her mother a reassuring smile.

"Darling I think you've taken one Prozac too many" Eleanor said.

"Relax Mother. My little minion is coming to the ceremony anyway, so if Camille can't find someone on this short notice there will at least be someone who can sing. Even if it isn't one of Broadway's finest."

The no-show soloist was supposed to sing two songs, both of which Blair had originally chosen, but later she had had to relent on one when Chuck had commented on how he didn't seem to get a say in anything. She had picked her favorite and he had chosen the second song, and even Blair had to admit he had made a good choice even if it wasn't what she might have chosen. Now she strongly doubted that they would be able to find someone who could get to St. Patrick's and sing the two songs they had chosen with their limited time frame, but if worst came to worst she was prepared to send someone out to poll the guests and find someone who could sing the two songs.

As for everything else… None of it really mattered. She could do without perfectly matching groomsmen or the right floral arrangements. She had a strong feeling that the only thing she would see at that altar anyway was her groom.

She took a glance in the mirror, smiling at what she saw, and wondered what Chuck was doing.

-

"How are your nerves?" Eric not-so-helpfully asked.

"Under control" Chuck muttered, working on his cufflinks.

"I bet Blair's aren't" Nate chuckled. "And I'm not sure I believe you either. I've never seen a guy have _that_ much trouble putting on his cufflinks."

"It is a big step" Eric said.

"We're both well aware of that" Chuck commented. "We've gone this whole engagement without getting cold feet. I don't think it's the groomsmen's job to try and make the groom nervous an hour before the wedding."

"Thirty-seven minutes" Eric corrected him with a glance at his watch.

"Really though?" Nate said. "No nerves at all? Not the slightest knot in your stomach?"

"The woman's given me butterflies for five years. No, I'm not nervous. Not in the sense that I want to run out the door. What was it Blair said yesterday? Not nervous, excited. I just want to be married already."

"You'll be getting your wish… thirty-six minutes from now" Eric said.

There was a knock on the door and Lily entered with a weepy smile on her face that made Chuck laugh.

"If it were Eric or Serena I would understand that look…" he said.

"It's probably because she, like everyone else, never expected Chuck Bass to get married" Nate commented.

"I hope I'm not disturbing" Lily said and walked over to help Chuck with the cufflinks. "I just came from your lovely bride. Everything is under control there so I thought I should come and check how you boys were doing."

"He's _almost_ old enough to dress himself, so he's probably ready to take the plunge" Nate said teasingly.

"Is Blair doing okay?" Chuck asked.

"She is, despite Serena's best efforts."

"What do you mean?" Eric asked.

"Well there are some issues, which I really want to spare you right now, but at the same time you should know about them" Lily said. "Most urgently, the soloist won't be able to make it. Camille is looking for a replacement."

Chuck looked concerned and opened his mouth to speak but Lily placed a finger on his lips and shushed him.

"Blair isn't freaking out so I don't expect you to. There is also a missing floral arrangement and one of your groomsmen can't find his tie."

"When you say that Blair isn't freaking out, is that code for 'Blair is passed out on the floor'?" Chuck asked.

"She's fine."

"That can be a bad sign when it comes to Blair."

"All she's focusing on right now is getting ready to walk down that aisle" Lily said. "You should be focused on meeting her at the end of it. You look very handsome Charles. I just wish your father could be here to see you."

"I'm a bit relieved he's not" Chuck admitted. "Being criticized by my father on my wedding day would not have been the most desirable thing."

"He wouldn't have criticized you" Lily objected, grabbing his right hand and letting her finger run over Bart's signet ring which he wore on it. "He would have been proud of you. Your mother would have been too. Since I'm their representative for the day I wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you too. You're going to be a great husband, and there's a woman in a white dress in another room who is going to make a wonderful wife to you."

"Thank you Lily."

"I should go" Lily said. "I promised myself I couldn't start weeping before Eleanor does. She's the biological mother."

She kissed Chuck on the cheek and left. Chuck cast a glance in the mirror and then went over to the couch where Nate and Eric were sitting and joined them there. Neither of them said anything for a moment. Eric then took another glance at his watch.

"Thirty-two minutes" he said.

* * *

I will try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible, but it's not finished yet. Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day and please let me know what you think of the chapter!


	25. After

Oh boy do I expect to be in the doghouse with this one… Welcome to an attempt at a new world record in author note length!

I do seem to have quite the talent for skipping over stuff that people want to read about… Which is usually unintentional, since by the time I read reviews I have usually finished the next chapter and I go: "Uh, oops, people found that interesting?" Clearly I'm a moron. So how does this tie in to this chapter? Well…

As the title of this chapter gives away, this chapter takes place _after_ the ceremony. I decided to skip the actual ceremony, which probably seems extremely odd/stupid/pointless given what this whole story has been about. When I first started I intended on ending it with a chapter about the ceremony but obviously that's not how it turned out in the end. I discovered that… well, I didn't have much to tell about that particular part. In fact, from a writing standpoint it's effing _boring_, since basically all the dialogue is already pre-determined and there's only so much you can add in about looks and feelings etc without getting far too fluffy. Plus I've only ever been to protestant weddings and don't know all that much about how catholic ceremonies go (and googling it only made me confused since there seem to be like a hundred different variations of how it's "traditionally" done) and I don't want to end up getting everything backwards. So I made up my mind to simply skip it and move ahead to the aftermath.

I made that decision back in 2009… And then people started saying how much they were looking forward to the wedding, and by the time I got closer to it I started feeling really bad about skipping it altogether. If people have been following so far it seems kind of rude to just pass it by completely (honestly I didn't expect people to be that interested in this story, so I'm really flattered that people care). So I tried writing a chapter for the ceremony and I just couldn't make it work. Not as one smoothly flowing chapter at any rate. So then I went back to my original plan of jumping to post-ceremony, thinking to myself that if I ever write those missing bits for the other chapters I could give the ceremony another shot.

Then last night I decided, what the heck. I'll try something. I'm guessing people will either love this or hate this, I really have no idea if it will work. I have this chapter, taking place directly after the wedding ceremony, and I'm probably going to split the reception into two chapters (maybe more, we'll see how much I end up coming up with for it), so that's at least three wedding day chapters. I decided to take the bits and pieces I had for the ceremony and throw them into these post-ceremony chapters as, I don't know, flashbacks? Something like that. That way I can use them without killing myself over how to make the ceremony flow and work as a whole. It might be my worst idea yet, but trust me, it will likely work a lot better than the alternative. Well, there was the idea of having them watch a wedding video later giving more detail to the ceremony, but in that scenario I wouldn't be able to give much insight into anything so I ditched that.

Okay, with all that said… I hope people won't feel too disappointed, and that you will stick with me till this is finished (rough estimate is another five or six chapters). The last thing I want is for anyone to feel cheated having read 24 chapters and not getting a ceremony one. If anyone does feel that way then I apologize, it was definitely not my plan going in. It's just the way it turned out… And seriously, thanks a million to all of you who have stuck with this story. I hope you will find it enjoyable to the end =)

End of super-long author's note! On with the chapter!

* * *

They stepped inside the empty room and closed the door behind them. The next second they had their arms around each other and their mouths pressed together. After only a few seconds Blair broke the kisses with a joyous laugh.

"We did it!" she laughed. "It's real. It's official."

"I half expected you to throw your hands in the air and yell: 'Yatta!'" Chuck said with a laugh and caressed her cheek.

"Yatta!" Blair cried, throwing her hands in the air and then wrapping them around his neck with another laugh. "Yatta… I locked down Chuck Bass."

"And I finally un-Waldorfed you" he said, kissing her again.

"Lucky me…" she mumbled against his lips.

They had just walked down the aisle together, newly married, and were now waiting for Father Matt to come and hand them their marriage license. Once they had gotten it they would be heading outside to the waiting crowd, to be showered in rice, petals and bubbles and pose for a few pictures before getting into the limo to go take their official pictures.

"I can't believe it was over so fast" Blair said between kisses.

"I know… Even with all the singing and the reading and the Bible quoting it felt like it only took like five minutes."

"How's my mascara? It hasn't run, has it?"

"No" he laughed.

They kissed again, only stopping when the door opened and their priest entered the room.

"Sorry" Blair said, moving her hand up to her lips. "I don't know what God's official stance is on tongue in a cathedral."

"I've seen newlyweds do worse" Father Matt chuckled. "And if you were paying attention out there you would know that God rejoices in love."

Blair laughed a little and grabbed Chuck's hand to play with the ring on his finger. She wanted to lift up his hand and kiss the finger, and the ring on it, the way he had so often done with her engagement ring, but she didn't think it would be proper in front of the priest who had just married them.

Father Matt gave them a smile and walked over to the writing desk to get them their marriage license, all in proper order.

"Thank you" Chuck said to him and shook his hand when he handed over the license. "The ceremony was all we had hoped it would be."

"We especially liked the '_I now pronounce you husband and wife_' part" Blair added with another little laugh.

"Best of luck to you both" Father Matt said.

"Ready to go?" Chuck asked Blair.

She nodded and leaned close for another kiss before grasping his right hand in her left and following him out to the waiting crowd.

-

"_Are you ready, Blair Bear?" Harold asked, extending his arm._

_Blair answered with a beaming smile and tried to stop herself from shaking as she took his arm. The music could start at any second now, and she had never been more nervous in her life. This was it. She couldn't decide if she wanted to savor it or if she wanted these last moments to be over already. Surely her nerves would calm down once she started walking down that aisle?_

_The bridesmaids lined up ahead of her. Serena turned and flashed her a beaming grin along with a thumbs up. Dorota also turned, giving Blair a little wave before carefully wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye._

"_Get a hold of yourself" Blair mouthed to her._

_She went over her appearance in her mind one more time while she waited for this whole thing to start. Her makeup was perfect, her hairdo was exquisite and her dress was gorgeous. She hoped the groom would approve. She knew he always found her beautiful but today she wanted him to think she looked better than he could ever have imagined._

"_You look ravishing" Harold whispered as the first bridesmaid walked down the aisle._

"_Thank you" Blair said, her voice trembling slightly._

_One by one the bridesmaids began their walk. Serena turned once more before she began to walk and blew Blair an air kiss. Blair blew her one back with the hand she held her flowers in but Serena was already moving._

_Blair glanced at her father, took a deep breath and smiled._

"_I'm ready" she said, just before the wedding march began._

_With her flowers in a firm grip in one hand and a steady grip on her father's arm with the other Blair took her first steps down the aisle. Smiling she tried to spot family members and friends in the large crowd but soon gave up on trying to make eye-contact with anyone. She couldn't think straight, let alone focus on the crowd._

_Finally she saw Chuck. Her smile widened. He had never looked better and she had never been more sure._

-

Luckily the weather was good. No wind, and the temperature was relatively mild. A light snow fell from the sky, just enough to add a nice touch without causing logistic problems. Though Camille kept a frown on her face, worrying that the snowing might increase.

When they stepped outside the newlyweds were immediately accosted by an entire crowd of people wanting to take pictures, to congratulate them and to get to talk to them for a moment. Blair moved closer to Chuck, in a combined effort to not be dragged off in a different direction by some enthusiastic guest, and to steal some of his warmth. She was very happy to be wearing a jacket in this temperature, but it was a light one merely designed to cover her shoulders while inside the cathedral and it was still too cold to be outside for more than a few minutes without wearing a proper winter jacket.

Chuck let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her even closer. He then placed a finger on her chin and gently made her face him so that he could kiss her again. She wasn't big on kissing in public, but today he knew she didn't care if the entire world was watching.

"Alright people" Camille's voice cried. "I'm sorry to break up the fun, but the bride is starting to turn blue, and she and the groom really need to get going if they're going to make it to the photographer's."

"Where are my manners?" Chuck said and began taking off his suit jacket. "Letting my wife stand out here freezing? I'm off to a good start."

He wrapped the jacket around her and she gave him a loving kiss.

"Just one more round of pictures!" Serena cried, bringing them back to reality. "You'll want one with the entire wedding party outside the cathedral."

She skipped up next to Blair, trying to hide how much she was shivering, and beamed at the newlyweds. The bridesmaids and groomsmen quickly assembled and posed for a few pictures, before they all began to move down the steps.

"Wait!" Dorota cried. "Must have picture with you and family."

"We can take those pictures at the reception" Blair said, but obediently stopped.

"No come on, she's right" Serena said and with a wave ushered Blair's parents up the steps. "You'll want a picture of this too."

Chuck moved behind Blair and wrapped his arms around her to help keep them both warm. Obediently they posed for pictures with Harold and Eleanor, then with Cyrus and Roman added to the picture, then Lily and finally Serena, Eric and Aaron as well. After that Camille came up and grabbed a firm hold of Chuck's arm, prepared to drag them off to the waiting limo.

"Thanks Camille" Chuck said in a low voice. "One more round of pictures and I would start to worry about pneumonia on the honeymoon."

When they reached the limo Chuck ignored Arthur waiting to open the door, and instead opened it himself. Blair turned and flashed the assembled crowd her brightest smile, waving with her free hand. She then gave Chuck another kiss and handed him the bouquet while she stepped inside the limo. He handed the flowers back to her before getting in after her.

-

"_What is taking so long?" Chuck sighed up at the altar. "I can't remember having to wait this long for the bride at any other wedding I've been at."_

"_It's been roughly two minutes" Eric said with a chuckle. "Relax."_

"_Easy for you to say…" Chuck mumbled. "At this point everyone is looking at me. It makes me nervous. _More_ nervous. I can't wait for her to show up so they can start ogling her instead."_

"_You mean you can't wait to see how she looks in her dress" Nate said._

_Chuck managed a smile but didn't comment. He hadn't gotten nervous for real until he walked inside the nave and saw all the people who had gathered. He couldn't see an empty seat, and Nate had had to nudge him and whisper to him not to look so stern. He couldn't help it. He wasn't the type who smiled when he was this nervous. And this was serious business. It was really happening._

"_Hey if you're nervous, how do you think Blair's doing?" Nate asked._

"_Hopefully she's excited" Chuck said, fiddling with his sleeves._

"_Stop fidgeting and stand still" Eric whispered. "And I know you're nervous, but smiling won't kill you."_

"_I think I'll save my smile for when I see her" Chuck said and took a deep breath. "Seriously, what are we waiting for?"_

"_They are _women_" Nate said. "There are _six_ of them. Did you expect them to all be ready on time?"_

"_I would say that's a sexist remark…" Eric said. "But I know my sister."_

_Father Matt came in and took his place and Chuck threw a dutiful smile his way. Hopefully now the wait would be over. He hadn't known it would be this nerve-wrecking to be standing up at the altar, waiting for her. He had lost track of the number of times he had wanted to talk to her this day, and now more than ever he wished he could just fish out a phone, dial her number and get her to help him calm down._

_Finally music started to play. Chuck turned to look at his groomsmen and managed a weak, nervous smile. Eric gave his arm a little nudge, Nate flashed him his most encouraging smile along with a wink and the other three settled for just the smiles. Taking another deep breath he turned towards the aisle again just in time to see the first bridesmaid._

_It seemed to take until forever before Serena finally came into view. After her Blair would follow. Finally the bridal march began and everyone rose from their seats. An instant annoyance, since they were blocking his view._

"_Can you see anything?" he whispered to Eric._

_Eric shushed him. Chuck glanced over at the bridesmaids and caught a glimpse of Dorota's teary beaming grin and saw his stepsister give him an encouraging smile. Looking back at the aisle he still couldn't see Blair and he had to fight the urge to lean over to get a better view._

_The first thing he noted when he did see her was that she wasn't wearing the veil over her face, thank God. He had been a bit worried that he wouldn't get to see the look on her face, see her beauty when she came down the aisle towards him. The second thing he noted was that he had trouble breathing at the sight of her. She was stunning._

_He realized his earlier prediction had been right, and he was indeed smiling now. In all likelihood sporting a foolish grin rather than a dignified smile but he could care less. Her smile was far more interesting than his anyway and right now she was sporting one rivaled only by the way she had smiled when he first told her he loved her._

_Harold gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered something to her. Chuck took his eyes off his bride for a second and let his eyes meet her father's, sharing an almost invisible nod. Then he reached out his hands to her and she let go of her father's arm and let her bouquet-free hand meet with his._

-

When the car door closed he gave a little sigh of relief and turned to look at her. Her teeth were clattering but she looked happy. He grinned.

"Come here" he said and nodded for her to move closer. "I can't stand to see my wife freezing like this."

She obediently moved closer and let him wrap his arms around her. She put the flowers down on the seat next to her and carefully leaned her head against his shoulder. She had both her bun and her veil to worry about, not to mention the little crown on her head, but somehow she managed to make it work.

"Here we are…" he said. "Back in the limo."

She laughed.

"I know what you're thinking. No, we're not going to consummate our marriage right here, right now."

He laughed.

"Believe it or not Bass, that wasn't what I had in mind" he said.

She looked up at him with a smile.

"You just called me Bass."

"I have a habit of calling people by what their names are."

She grinned and carefully not to ruin her makeup wiped a tear from her eye. He shook his head at her and chuckled.

"I never thought I would see you weep over being called Bass… Okay, that's not entirely true. But I never thought it would be tears of _joy_."

"Oh shut up, you're as bad as I am" she said, wiping away another tear. "You were _worse_ than I was up at that altar. I was standing very close to you, I know those pauses you kept making weren't for dramatic effect."

He smiled and kissed her forehead but didn't deny it. He hadn't thought he would get too emotional during the ceremony, but seeing her had taken his breath away and once she had reached the altar and taken his hand he hadn't been able to stop the wave of emotion that had come over him, and he'd known he didn't want to either. But since they were in the center of attention with a large cathedral full of people watching them, a lot of whom were prominent people, he had at least made an effort to keep his composure.

While silence fell between them in the limo he replayed every second of it, but with no sound. All he could see was her, her face, her smile, her eyes. He had always wanted her to be happy and he had never seen anybody look happier than she did up at that altar.

Everything had gone just as they had hoped. The flowers by the altar had been missing but there were enough flowers in the cathedral anyway so it didn't really matter. Camille had managed to find a soloist in time and there had been no malfunctions of any kind during the actual ceremony. The smile Blair had sported when he first caught a glimpse of her had only grown wider, not faded. He replayed the whole thing again in his mind. He couldn't get enough of the mental image of her smiling face.

Blair's mind was further ahead, already anticipating the reception. She felt confident that she, with Camille's help, had planned everything perfectly and all she would have to do now was to sit back and enjoy. And she planned on doing that, as much as humanly possible.

As for the ceremony itself she had hardly any clear memories of it. It was almost like a dream in her mind, with only a few moments in perfect clarity. She had been so caught up in the moment and yet it somehow hadn't seemed real. She couldn't remember a word she herself had said or how she had said them, only the words that had come out of Chuck's mouth. She thanked herself silently for making sure they had people filming it. She would have to sit down later and watch the whole thing to get a clear picture of what had actually happened.

She carefully turned her head up to look at Chuck, whose eyes were looking out the window of the limo. He seemed miles away.

"Hey…" she said gently. "What's on your mind?"

A smile appeared on his lips and he turned to give her a look.

"You" he smiled. "The way you looked up there at the altar. It feels good to know that while I'm bound to see countless gorgeous brides in the future, none of them will be able to hold a candle to my wife."

"You are such a sap" she grinned. "Why don't you stop looking out that window and kiss me instead?"

He obliged and felt her respond eagerly. Her hands were soon on his cheeks and she turned so that she was almost straddling him. They had seven days worth of kisses to catch up on and the way it felt to kiss now reminded him of the way it had felt that day when he waited for her by his limo, the day they first got together as a real couple. It was something out of the ordinary.

"We'd better stop this…" he mumbled between kisses, even though stopping was the last thing he wanted to do. "Your lipstick is going to end up more on me than you… Neither one of us will look presentable for our wedding photos."

"Spoil sport" she whispered with a smile and gave his cheek one more caress before sitting back down the way she had been before.

"You know me, Blair" he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "That's going to be one of _very few_ times when I suggest we stop kissing."

"I'll take that as a promise."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Blair had once dreaded having silence between them, remembering it as a negative when she was with Nate. When she and Nate were silent it was usually because they had nothing to say to one another. It had taken her over a year to learn to appreciate silence with Chuck. The change had come one afternoon when they were lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling without saying a thing for almost an hour. Chuck had broken the silence to tell her he liked how comfortable their silence was. Since then she had appreciated it. They didn't need to communicate to be connected. It felt good to know.

They reached the photographer's studio and Chuck smiled at her.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and took his hand, stepping out of the limo. She was more than ready for their future to begin.

* * *

So how did it work? Let me know, and don't be shy to tell me it worked horribly if that's what you think.

I've barely started on the next chapter so it will likely be a few days at the least until I've posted it. But thanks for reading this one!


	26. Reception

For starters, I was very relieved to learn people liked what I did in the last chapter with regards to the ceremony! A big thanks goes out to all of you who gave me your opinions (both the good and the bad). I value it a lot.

The flashbacks will continue in this chapter and the next. I would say this chapter is fairy disjointed compared to most others in this series, which is the result of me trying to include a number of different things from the reception which would happen with some time apart. To avoid a too long chapter I divided the reception into two, so the next chapter will be the continuation.

About the ceremony flashbacks, I've had so much trouble finding anything consistent for, well, any part of it. There are a lot of websites out there and they rarely agree with one another about how it's supposed to be done. And who knew there were so many variations of the traditional vows? After a while I decided that if the show writers can have wolves roaming about in the state of New York (seriously, why couldn't it have been deer? But I digress) then I can get off the hook if I get something mixed up or just plain wrong ;) Hopefully it will work the way it is now.

Also… Fluff alert! Normally I'm not a fan of fluff, but it seemed to belong here so I went down that road.

* * *

"Who would have ever guessed that we would one day be finding ourselves eating an exclusive dinner with a foreign name, in a room full of people all gathered to actually _celebrate_ Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf?" Dan commented, treating himself to another sip of the very fine wine that had been poured in his glass.

"You didn't see this coming?" Rufus asked, finishing his entrée. "They've been together for years and I married his adoptive mother. Makes sense that they would end up married and we would end up on the guest list."

"Yeah but still" Dan said. "First of all, I never thought anyone would ever even remotely _like_ Chuck Bass, let alone marry him for love. Second, who would have ever guessed he was even capable of loving anyone but himself? Third, Blair Waldorf? Let's not even get started on that subject…"

"That's Blair Bass to you" Blair said, having stopped when she overheard him on her way past their table.

Dan's face got a streak of panic for a second, wondering just how hard Blair would pounce on him for having talked smack about the bride and groom at their wedding reception. Serena, who was standing next to Blair, looked uncomfortable but at least didn't seem to be pondering whether or not she should throw herself in front of Dan like a human shield, which made him a little less nervous. But only a little.

"Hi Blair" Jenny said meekly, embarrassed by her brother. "Congratulations."

"Thanks" Blair beamed.

"It was a lovely ceremony" Rufus said.

"Yeah, congratulations" Dan managed to say, focusing his eyes on his food.

"Ignore Dan" Jenny offered. "He's just…"

"Oh who gives two hoots about what Dan Humphrey thinks?" Blair asked cheerfully.

"Well I'm glad he didn't manage to dampen your spirits" Rufus said. "We're very happy for the both of you, Blair."

"You couldn't bring my mood down today if you wanted to" Blair chirped, shrugging a shoulder. "I can't seem to stop smiling."

"Or kissing…" Serena remarked.

"It's been a week, what do you expect?" Blair chirped. "And nothing, not even the Humphreys, can make this day anything less than perfect. And you should be thankful, Humphrey. When Chuck and I are happy we are a lot less inclined to target and destroy. Enjoy the bliss while it lasts."

"I'm amazed you've even managed to leave his side" Dan remarked. "Like Serena said, you two have been locked at the lips, or at least attached at the hips, ever since the ceremony."

"I have to pee" Blair told him. "And that's one thing I don't mind doing without Chuck."

"And I, as maid of honor, has to help her hold up her dress" Serena said. "There are a lot of things that comes with this job which are in fine print."

"Come on S" Blair said. "The sooner we get to the ladies' room, the sooner I can get back to my seat."

"Yeah, it's the chair she's eager to get back to" Serena said with a smirk, causing Jenny to stifle a laugh.

Serena gave Dan, Rufus and Jenny a smile and a wave, then followed Blair in the direction of the restrooms. Jenny gave Dan a smack on the arm when they were gone.

"Try keeping your negativity to yourself at least until they have left for their honeymoon" she said. "She may be happy and smiling now but you know as well as I do that Blair is one beast you don't want to goad."

"The only one worse is her husband" Dan remarked, looking around to make sure Chuck wasn't about to pass by as well. "Aren't you scared Jenny? Now they're officially a duplex. If they were dangerous before they are ten times more so now."

"Hopefully they'll have other priorities now, with little time left to worry about us" Jenny said smiling.

"Oh God, you mean like reproduction?" Dan groaned. "The spawn of Blair and Chuck… All that evilness combined into one human being. It will be… horrifying. Rosemary's baby, come back, all is forgiven."

"What makes you think they'll settle for just one kid?" Rufus asked.

"Unless they find a surrogate mother I'm betting Blair's desire to keep her waistline will factor in" Jenny commented dryly.

"Just imagine Blair Waldorf _pregnant_" Dan sighed.

"Blair Bass" Jenny corrected him teasingly.

"I'm serious, think about it. I'm scared of her when she's in her best mood. Wouldn't want to be around when she's all hormonal, carrying that evil spawn."

Jenny rolled her eyes and Rufus sighed.

"Try not to insult the bride and groom too much" Rufus said. "Someone might overhear you."

"They do look happy…" Dan said, softening a bit. "I will admit to that. And I guess it can be consider a good thing that they've banned together and won't be contaminating two additional people's DNA when they have kids."

"More eating, less talking" Rufus suggested. "Voice your dislike when we get out of here. Blair might not be as forgiving if she overhears you again."

Dan obediently concentrated on his entrée and tried to keep silent, but there were just too many impressions for one day to just leave it alone.

"You know what the weirdest thing is?" he said.

"Your inability to shut up?" Jenny suggested.

"This whole thing was actually… actually quite romantic. She did look gorgeous, _does_ look gorgeous, and I've never thought Chuck Bass capable of looking the way he did when he looked at her in that cathedral. They're like a force of nature those two. Seeing those two of all people acting all lovey dovey was… quite the experience."

-

_Nate's voice began reciting the passage Blair had selected. Chuck looked into Blair's eyes, keeping hers locked with his, wondering if she was thinking what he was thinking. How far they had come, and how strange yet somehow right it was to hear Nate read for them at their wedding. Chuck had the girl of his dreams, and he had his best friend's blessing for the union. That meant more to him than the blessing of the divinity in whose name they were being wed._

"Love is patient, love is kind_" Nate's voice recited, reaching the part Chuck actually recognized. "_It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud_."_

_It was a beautiful passage. He was glad she had chosen it, even if it was what most people had read at their wedding. It was tradition, and it worked for them._

"It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs_" Nate continued._

_His voice was distant in Blair's ears. She heard every word Nate said, and she loved that it was Nate who said them, but the only thing that was really in focus right now was her groom. And she hadn't even started blubbering yet. Once she started, if she started, she would probably not even be able to see him clearly through the tears. She didn't feel like crying yet though. She only felt like laughing for joy. She had to fight to hold back a bubbly laughter, realizing it would be out of place right now._

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres_."_

_As the familiar words continued Chuck let his eyes leave Blair's for a second, glancing down at her hand, which he held between his own. Her right hand, the bouquet being held by her left. He let his fingers gently stroke hers before giving her a mischievous smirk which caused her to laugh a little even though she tried to hide it. He was glad to see that little laugh. Things were getting a little too heavy, Chuck and Blair did not do overly romantic, at least not if he had anything to say about it._

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love._" Nate said, nearly finished._

_He looked up, glancing over at his friends, smiling. He wasn't sure how they were doing it, but they seemed to be communicating although silent. He saw a twinkle in Blair's eyes in response to something Chuck had done. He had never seen them happier, and Nate himself felt happier than he had in a long time._

_Throughout the engagement he had secretly been worrying that he wouldn't be able to view their union strictly through a friend's eyes. His best friend, the delinquent nobody thought would amount to anything, marrying before Nate himself did. The girl who had been earmarked for him back when they were kids sharing something Nate had once assumed he would share with her with his best friend. He had been worried old feelings of jealousy would resurface when he saw them together at the altar. It was a relief that the only thing he felt right now was genuine happiness. He had never been happier for them._

"But the greatest of these…_" he finished his reading, "_is love_."_

_Chuck __gave her hands a squeeze and the look on her face made him feel like he was welling up. Good Lord, he couldn't cry before she did!_

_Nate walked back to his place, and Chuck lifted his eyes from Blair for a second to share a look with his best friend. They smiled at each other._

-

When Blair and Serena returned to their table they found they were the only ones there. The idea of a bathroom break had apparently occurred to everyone and Blair's smile faded for a quick second when she saw that the chair next to hers was empty. Then she smiled again and sat down, letting her fingers play with the petals of the flowers in her bouquet, which was sitting in a vase in front of her.

"They're lovely aren't they?" she said.

"Loveliest I've ever seen" Serena agreed. "When did you pick them out? I can't even remember that."

"I didn't. Chuck did. I didn't have a clue what the bouquet would look like until the florist arrived with them right before the ceremony. And they turned out to be perfect."

"You should save them" Serena said. "I know a lot of women who've done that. Once the garter and the flowers have been thrown you get both back, and then dry the flowers so you can keep them forever."

"Cute... I have different plans for them though."

"Oh?"

"I was hoping you would take care of them while we're on our honeymoon" Blair said. "And if you let them wither you owe me a new wedding."

Serena laughed.

"I think I can keep them alive for the duration of the honeymoon" she said. "Or at least hire someone who can."

"Then when we get back, I thought Chuck and I could go visit his father's grave and put the flowers there."

"Really? That's so sweet, but don't you want to keep them?"

"They're flowers. In a bouquet. They won't last forever and they're not meant to. I'm sure about this. Leaving them on my father-in-law's grave is like a way of making him part of this, and I think he should be."

"Who should be a part of what?" Chuck asked, returning with Eric, Aaron and Nate.

"Hey" Blair beamed. "There you are."

He sat down and gave her a long kiss.

"I had to go wash your lipstick off my lips" he teased. "Again. I was starting to look like a transsexual."

"Where did everybody else go?" Serena asked.

"I think Mom went to Rufus" Eric said. "She's kind of pissed that you didn't seat her with her husband."

"Sorry, no room for Humphreys at this table" Blair said and then turned her attention back to Chuck.

"I think most people went to the bathroom" Aaron said. "And Dad went to get some fresh air. And I think Harold went somewhere to put the finishing touches on his speech."

Blair giggled a little. Her dad had asked to get to deliver his speech towards the end of dinner, so that he could work on it for as long as possible. Blair knew her father well enough to know that this was a bad idea. So far a few speeches had been given, and each one was something Harold would feel the need to top.

"I'm glad I will be giving my speech next" Serena said and made a face. "I'm just not very good at these things."

"S, we've told you, you don't have to give a speech if you don't want to" Blair said, entwining her fingers with Chuck's and feeling his breath on her cheek as he leaned closer to her. "Screw traditions."

"No, I want to say something" Serena said. "How often does your best friend marry your brother?"

"Well if you dump me for Andy then in your case it might happen twice" Blair smiled before turning to Chuck. "How's dinner coming along? Getting to actually eat something?"

"It's going better than it did at the rehearsal dinner" he smiled. "I actually managed to finish my entrée."

"Good. I don't want a cranky husband tonight" she teased.

"Don't you worry, my dear" he said and let go of her hand to take a sip of wine. "I made back-up arrangements after how hungry I was on Thursday night. There will be food on the plane when we leave."

"Oh, so we're going by plane are we?"

"We are" he nodded. "Which doesn't really narrow down the possibilities for our destination unless you thought I was planning on honeymooning with you in New Jersey."

"Ew, you wouldn't!"

"You know I wouldn't."

One by one people returned to their table and soon it was Serena's time to give her speech. She took a deep breath, cast Tom a glance and then rose with her cue cards in her hands.

"As maid of honor it is my duty and pleasure to say a few words" she said, lying about the last part but shooting Blair a smile. "And as sister to the groom it is… even more of an honor. I won't ramble though, I will make this brief and to the point. I have known the both of you since we were kids and I've seen you both at your best and at your worst. Your best being the past three and a half years, when you've been together. I have never seen two people make each other happier, and even though the thought of you two in a permanent alliance is scary both to me and to a lot of other people, I have to say I have rarely seen two people better fitted for one another. I love you both, yes even you Chuck, and I think the best thing you've ever done is adding Blair to this family. We may have had our disagreements over the years, but one thing I know for sure, I will never get married unless I'm with someone who looks at me the way you look at Blair. I wish you both all the best… To the happy couple!"

"Brief indeed" Chuck mumbled in Blair's ear.

"I think she got the important stuff in" Blair smiled and kissed him. "And I'm glad she deviated from her original plan, which was to basically have me write the thing for her."

"How inventive" Chuck said with a grin.

Serena glanced over at Tom, and then back at Chuck and Blair. She had meant what she said. If she would ever get married, it would be to someone who looked at her the way her stepbrother was currently looking at her new sister-in-law.

-

_Blair began to feel nervous again when she realized she would soon be expected to speak. She didn't know if she could trust her own voice. Luckily Chuck would be going first, and luckily the first thing they would be required to say consisted of just two words._

_Chuck looked calm, as always, while she had to force herself not to flinch when the congregation rose behind them. She took a deep, slow breath and felt Chuck squeeze her hand, making her feel a little more relaxed._

_Father Matt began asking Chuck if he had come of his own free will to be married, and while the priest's voice went on Blair took another slow breath. How could Chuck seem so calm?_

"_I do" Chuck said, answering the priest's question._

_Blair's smile got wider for a second, before she really began to feel nervous as Father Matt now turned to her and asked her the same question. She hoped her voice would carry, and that she wouldn't have to clear her throat._

"_I do" she said, and relaxed when her voice came out just fine._

_Prompted by the priest Chuck let his left hand leave her, holding her right hand with his. This was the part he was looking forward to. The vows which would bring them together._

"_I Charles Bartholomew Bass do take thee Blair Cornelia Waldorf to be my wife" he began, repeating after the priest, feeling himself tremble looking into her eyes. "__To have and to hold from this day forward." He had to take a pause before repeating the next line Father Matt gave him. "For better, for worse…" He realized his voice was dangerously close to quivering. "For richer, for poorer…"_

_She could see his eyes starting to glisten, in a way she had never seen them do out of happiness. Nobody could see it but her, nobody could feel his hand tremble but her and she was fairly sure that she was the only one able to detect the signs in his voice that he was getting emotional._

_He got through his vows without his voice breaking and gave her a teasing look, challenging her to get through them as well. She decided to not even try. If he got this close to having tears in his eyes then she could allow herself to shed a tear or two. But she still didn't feel like weeping._

_Her voice was steady and clear as she began to recite her vows to him. He had taken a second to compose himself before each repeated phrase but she didn't need to pause. The words were so natural to say, and she found herself feeling glad that they hadn't written their own vows._

"_In sickness and in health" she continued her pledge. "To love and to cherish." She could hear her mother sniffle. "To be true to you in good times and in bad."_

_She could hear Cyrus sniffling too and neither she nor Chuck could keep in a little laugh. Someone else, Roman probably, joined in the crying and she shook her head slightly, more amused than touched._

"_And to forsake all others" she repeated after Father Matt. "Until death do us part."_

-

"I can't believe I actually finished my dinner" Chuck remarked, washing down his last bite with some champagne.

"Soon the speeches part of the program will be over" Blair smiled, letting her hand rest on his thigh.

"Careful Mrs. Bass…" Chuck said. "Put your hand in the wrong place and I won't be held responsible for my actions. Now that we're married I have fulfilled my end of the bargain and you are fair game."

She removed her hand while smirking at him. She couldn't decide if she wanted the reception to go on forever, or if she wanted it to be over so that the wedding night could finally begin.

Camille came up to their table and announced that the cake had finally arrived. Fifteen minutes later Blair found herself pondering the logistics of how the actual cutting of the cake would work. Why had she never paid attention to this at any other wedding she'd been at?

She grabbed the cutter and Chuck's hands wrapped around hers. She looked up at him and smiled, getting a kiss in return, then studied the cake carefully to decide where to cut.

"It's the same all the way around, you know" he teased. "Find a spot already."

With some slight fumbling they cut a slice of the cake, and with a lot of fumbling moved it over to a dish. Chuck's hands left Blair's and she lifted the dish up, receiving some applauds from the people around them, and used the spoon Chuck handed her to feed him a piece.

"Raspberry" he noted, nodding to himself.

He hadn't been sure if she had gone with her favorite cake which had been raspberry, or if she had gone with the blackberry one. He hadn't cared either way when they had done their last phase testing together. Blair had of course fretted endlessly over the issue.

He took the spoon and fed her a piece as well, to more applauds from everyone, and a few disappointed comments from people who had hoped one of them would throw cake at the other. He gave Blair a kiss and then cut off another slice, moving it over to the same dish as the first one.

"We should have cut a bigger piece, that would have been more romantic" he noted with a grin. "Guess we'll have to settle for sharing a dish and a spoon."

Before long they were back at their table, passing the spoon back and forth between them while working on their cake.

"I think I made the right call" Blair mused.

"It tastes just fine" Chuck said. "Everything so far has been just fine. Better than that, actually."

"Did you tell Camille to make sure the little bride and groom at the top of the cake are secured?" Blair asked. "I want to keep them."

"For what? When are you ever going to use them again?"

"Memorabilia!"

Chuck rolled his eyes but made no further comments. Absent-mindedly he fed Blair another piece and kept in a groan when the toastmaster announced it was time for another toast. Was it too much to ask for to get to spend more than two minutes at a time eating something?

Nate rose to give his toast and Chuck's smile was back. He hadn't known Nate was even planning on speaking.

"I have known both of you since way back when" Nate began. "Which means I'm under some pressure to give this great toast since I have all kinds of stories to tell about the two of you. But I'm not going to tell any stories tonight. I'm also not going to talk about your love for one another, how happy I am for you, or how great the future is going to be for you. Everyone else has already done that, and you know those things to be true, so no need for me to repeat them. And I don't feel the need to say anything about the obstacles you faced to get to this point, since I know better than anyone that trying to get in the way of you two being together is as likely to succeed as standing at the gates of Pompeii, kindly asking the lava to go around the city. I also can't welcome either of you to my family, like the best man or maid of honor have done. Not that I would need to. The three of us, and Serena, are already family, and have been for a long time."

Blair blew Nate an air kiss, causing him to blush. Serena rose from her seat, winking at the bride and groom.

"Now I know Chuck, while appreciative of the Biblical readings during the ceremony, would not have objected to readings from a non-Biblical source. So Serena and I found a text we thought fit the two of you, and the occasion, and we would now like to share it with you." Nate smiled and paused for a second before continuing. "_Now we feel no rain, for each of us will be shelter to the other._"

"_Now we feel no cold,_" Serena continued, "_for each of us will be warmth to the other._"

"_Now there is no loneliness, for each of us will be a companion to the other._"

"_We are two bodies, but there is one life before us and one home._"

"_When evening falls I'll look up and there you will be._"

"_I'll take your hand, you'll take mine and we'll turn together_" Serena continued, her smile growing wider.

"_To look at the road we traveled to reach this, the hour of our happiness_" Nate said.

"_It stretches behind us, even as the future lies ahead_" Serena continued.

"_A long and winding road, whose every turn means discovery._"

"_Old hopes, new laughter, shared fears._"

Nate and Serena looked at each other and picked up their champagne glasses, lifting them for a toast.

"_The adventure has just begun_" they finished the recital together.

"Is this wedding sappy enough for you yet?" Chuck asked Blair while clinking his champagne glass to hers.

"I don't know, see any dry eyes?" Blair asked, wiping a tear from her own.

He chuckled, and caught Nate's eye as the latter sat back down. He lifted his glass to a private toast between them, then turned and did the same with Serena.

* * *

Like I said… fluffy =) The text Nate reads during the ceremony is, as mentioned in previous chapters, I Corinthians 13:1-13, and what he recites with Serena is an Apache poem (in case anyone is interested).

Anyway, thanks for reading, hope this wasn't _too_ disjointed and sappy, and… the second half will be up at some point. I just have to start writing it first *hangs head in shame*


	27. Reception Continued

And so the reception continues! Fluff warning still applies =) Other than that I don't have much to say before this installment; what I said before the previous one pretty much applies to this chapter as well. Hope you'll enjoy the read!

* * *

With a firm grip of Blair's hand Chuck led her to the dance floor. She did a little twirl before finding her place in his arms when the music began. They had agree to a waltz, and to show off their high society upbringing by dancing elegantly and properly. Blair wanted it to look good, and with everyone's eyes on them a more slow and tender dance would have felt awkward.

"I'm glad to get this dance all to myself" Chuck mumbled in her ear. "Probably the one dance tonight when no one will dare to cut in."

She shot him another one of her brightest smiles. They kept looking into each other's eyes the whole dance through, and Blair proudly noted what a pretty picture they made. Hopefully half the women in the room, or all the women in the room, were jealous. This was her moment in the limelight and she intended to make sure it was memorable.

The song ended and Chuck bowed and placed a kiss on her hand, earning him a few teasing comments from the crowd about how formal it was. Then Blair caught a sight of his mischievous grin a second before he dipped her down for a Hollywood kiss, to the amusement and approval of the commenting people in the crowd.

"Chuck!" Blair complained. "My hair!"

He just laughed, knowing very well that she could do a head bang and her hair would still be in perfect place, that bun wasn't going anywhere. She shot him a look that wasn't entirely disapproving while she gently ran her hair over her bun.

The band began to play another song and Harold came up to them.

"I believe you have to let her go for a moment now" he said to Chuck. "Before she is all yours her father gets one more dance."

Chuck bowed again, this time to Harold, and placed Blair's hand in her father's. He stepped back and joined the crowd, watching Blair and Harold dance. No other couples went up to join them, and Blair was probably enjoying herself royally, still being in focus.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder Chuck turned and saw Lily.

"I think you owe me this dance, Charles" she said.

"Who am I to argue?" he said, leading her out to the dance floor.

Moments later other couples began to dance, while Serena clapped her hands at the sight of her mother dancing with the groom. Then Tom grabbed her to go dance as well. Blair took a look around and realized she was no longer at the center of the attention, but didn't mind too much. She caught Chuck's eye and gave him a wink, hoping she would get at least one more dance with him before the end of the night.

For the next half hour Blair and Chuck kept dancing. Chuck danced with Eleanor, and Blair with her stepfathers, while Harold took the opportunity to dance with Serena. Chuck then danced with the maid of honor while Blair let the best man lead her around the dance floor.

"I don't think we've done this since we were under ten years old" Blair noted to Eric. "Back when Serena and I used to force you to help us practice dancing."

"Those… are not some of my favorite childhood memories" Eric said, but then laughed. "You guys were much taller than me. It was kind of scary."

"Well you've gotten better at dancing since then" Blair smiled.

She tried catching Chuck's eye again, but he was talking to Serena and had his eyes on her.

"So are you happy with the evening so far?" Serena asked him.

"Yes" he said. "And I want to thank you again for what you said in your speech. That, and the thing you recited with Nate."

"You're very welcome" Serena said. "I know we've had our differences, and I will admit to having hated you at times, but Blair is right. You've always been fiercely loyal. And it's good to know you are usually on my side."

"Usually" he echoed.

She playfully smacked him on the arm.

"So how does it feel to be married?" she then asked.

"I don't know, I haven't really had a chance to try it out yet. I'm stuck on a high right now though, that's for sure. I look at her and I… I can't really fathom that she's my wife now. I know it's something different but I haven't really gotten to put my finger on how just yet. Ask me again when we return from our honeymoon."

"Speaking of, when are you guys planning to leave?"

"Not for a while yet. I know I can't wait to finally have her to myself and consummate this union, but I want to stay here a while longer first. I especially want to let her stay and enjoy this for as long as possible. This will be her only wedding reception and she should enjoy it."

"I'm glad to hear you will be staying another hour or two at the least" Serena said. "Who knows how much I'll get to see of her once you two leave? You're going to keep her occupied most of the time from now on I presume."

"Oh yes."

The song ended and another one began to play. Chuck saw Nate walk up to Blair and ask for a dance. It was slightly uncomfortable to see Nate dance with her while she wore a wedding dress, but he tried to ignore it, knowing it didn't mean anything in reality. But it was part of their shared history and would always be there.

Blair enjoyed being in Nate's arms, loving how it felt comfortable and familiar yet there was no touch of anything besides friendship. She had danced with Nate a million times before and they were good together on the dance floor.

"So, Mrs. Bass…" Nate said halfway through the song. "Has this day been everything you hoped it would be?"

"It has" she confirmed. "It's gone better than I dared anticipate, actually. Even with a few minor problems along the way it's still been close to perfect. What about you, are you having a good time?"

"Better than I assumed" he said honestly.

"Sounds good to me. I'm so glad we can both be happy for each other."

He nodded. Then something caught his eye and he smirked.

"What?" Blair asked.

"Your husband" Nate said.

She turned her head and looked in the direction Nate was looking. Chuck was dancing with Dorota and the sight made her feel like she was welling up.

"I love him" she sighed and leaned her head against Nate's chest.

"And you managed to get him to settle down. Quite the feat."

She nodded slowly. Chuck sure hadn't come easy, but every step of the way had proven to be worth it.

-

"_Do you have the rings?" Father Matt asked Eric._

_Eric handed him the rings, and the priest turned to bless them. Serena stepped forward and took the flowers Blair handed her. With the bouquet firmly in her hands Serena glanced out over the mass of people gathered in the cathedral. She could see Eleanor whose eyes had welled up, Cyrus who had his arm around her waist, Harold who looked beamingly proud and Roman who was wiping tears from his face with a hankie. On the other side of the aisle she saw her mother, who caught her eye and smiled at her. Lily then nodded her head in the direction of the bride and groom, motioning to Serena to pay attention._

_Quickly Serena turned her eyes back to where they should be, just in time to see Chuck grab Blair's left hand and slide the ring on her finger._

"_With this ring I thee wed" he said, caressing Blair's hand with his fingers. "It is a sign of my love and faithfulness."_

_Serena felt herself welling up, just as she had predicted she would. Chuck continued, and Serena wished she could see Blair's face clearly. She wanted to know if she was crying too, or if she still managed to keep her composure. Chuck's eyes looked watery, but she couldn't tell for sure from where she stood._

_Blair was still calm and composed sliding the ring onto Chuck's finger and beginning to speak. His hand grabbed hers firmly when she had put the ring on and at that moment she felt a lump in her throat and had to pause for a second before she continued._

"_With my body I thee worship" she finally said. "I will love and honor you all the days of my life and I pledge thee my troth. This is my solemn vow."_

_She laughed a little and wished he wasn't holding her hand with his own angled downwards. She wanted to be able to see how his finger looked with the ring on it. The ring he had put on her finger felt cold, but she didn't mind. She would be wearing it for the rest of her life and she loved it._

-

Blair was still dancing when Chuck left the dance floor to go sit down. He would let the wedding guests fight for her attention for a while longer before going to rescue her.

He walked back to their table and found only Harold and Eleanor there. They both looked up at him and he felt slightly nervous taking a seat next to them. He had never been alone with Blair's parents before.

"Where is our daughter?" Harold asked.

"Still dancing. At the moment, with Aaron. There are a lot of people eager to get to lead her around that dance floor. Thought I'd give at least a few of them the opportunity."

"Here" Eleanor said, handing him a glass of champagne. "Since I didn't make a toast I haven't had a chance to welcome you to the family yet."

She clinked her own glass to his and together with Harold they emptied their glasses. Chuck put his down and looked at Blair's parents. He wondered what he would be calling them now. Growing up they had been Mr. and Mrs. Waldorf, then when he got together with Blair he had switched to first name basis. He hoped they didn't expect him to call them Mom and Dad, at least not yet. It was a tad too weird for him.

"Listen, I would like to thank you both…" he said, partly just to break the silence. "For all your help, both financial and practical, for hosting this dinner, and of course for your daughter. She is… everything."

"We should be thanking you" Harold said. "Blair has never been this happy. And while I still feel you two are a bit too young to get married, at least I believe the two of you will still be together sixty years from now when your grandkids get married. I'm glad she has someone who can take care of her."

"I'm glad to have someone like her to take care of me" Chuck replied.

"I will admit I was skeptical when she told me how she felt about you" Harold said.

"Harold" Eleanor scolded.

"It's fine" Chuck said. "If you had said anything else I would have thought you were lying. You knew me back when I was… well, shall we say, not the kind of boy you dream of your daughter hooking up with."

"At first I thought she had a crush and it would pass…" Harold told him. "When I understood that it was serious I was a bit worried, but I trusted my daughter's judgment and that she knew you better than I did."

"Harold, this conversation isn't appropriate for the _reception_" Eleanor said. "It's not a good way of welcoming our son-in-law to the family."

"You are welcome in the family, Charles" Harold said. "The first time I saw you after you and my daughter had gotten together I accepted you, and your relationship. When I saw the way she looked at you I couldn't do anything but give you my approval."

"Thank you" Chuck said. "It means a lot. And thank you for the speech you gave."

Harold nodded and leaned back in his chair. Chuck looked up when he saw Blair approaching the table.

"There you are" she said with a smile and sat down next to Chuck, grabbing his hand.

"Hey" he said. "How did you manage to escape the dancing masses?"

"I have my secret ways" she smiled.

"We were just talking about how we are all family now" Eleanor said, and signaled to a waiter to bring over more champagne.

"We are" Blair beamed.

She was thrilled to get a moment during the reception with just her parents and Chuck. She thought back to summer, when the four of them had sat and talked at the chateau after going over wedding plans for what seemed like forever. That evening she hadn't even dared to dream of getting a similar moment at the reception.

"Do you feel properly welcomed?" she asked Chuck, gently letting a finger caress his cheek.

"Oh don't worry" he said. "I think we'll manage to stay clear of the feuding in-law cliché. Harold and Eleanor, you have both been very accepting."

"Just remember, no children until Blair has graduated college" Harold said.

"Daddy!" Blair exclaimed, but Chuck only laughed.

"I wouldn't worry" he said, putting an arm around Blair. "I plan on having her to myself for a few years before we start discussing the next generation Basses."

Blair opened her mouth to comment, but before she could get a word out Roman came up and gave both bride and groom another round of air kisses. Chuck cast a glance at Blair as Roman sat down, noticing the slight change in her smile that signaled that she was a bit disappointed that closest family time was over. He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"What do you say next time we go to France we take out your parents to dinner? Just Eleanor and Harold, leave the stepdads at home."

Her smile returned to its previous glory and she rested her forehead against his for a second. Then she turned her smile towards Roman and started discussing the wine served during dinner with him.

"So I take it you'll be coming to France this summer?" Harold said to Chuck.

"I should think so" Chuck nodded. "At least for a week or two."

"You should think about buying property in Paris" Harold suggested. "Gives you an even better excuse to cross the Atlantic, bringing our daughter with you. No hotel empire is a real empire without spanning multiple continents."

Chuck nodded, even though he had no intention of buying a hotel in France, and continued the casual conversation until Camille once again came up to them.

"Time to get your flowers, Mrs. Bass" she said. "Bouquet and garter in about ten minutes."

Blair excused herself and went to get the flowers from the vase. She lifted the bouquet up to her nose and took a deep breath, loving how they smelled. She felt reluctant to toss it into the crowd, worried that the flowers would be manhandled by whatever desperate, clumsy woman caught them. She wanted them to be in pristine condition when she placed them on Bart's grave later on.

But before she had to toss her flowers Chuck would toss the garter. Blair sat down on a chair in the middle of the room and couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it felt to be sitting there with everyone watching while he got down on his knees to remove a piece of her underwear.

It took him some effort to find his way underneath her skirt, to the amusement of the guests. Finally he was done fumbling with the fabric and she felt herself tremble when his hand slid up her leg.

"Right leg or left?" he suddenly asked.

She lifted the correct leg and gave him a playful kick. She laughed again, more for appearance than for actual amusement. She would be so embarrassed if everyone could see the actual response his touch caused. He looked up at her with a very knowing look in his eyes, and she looked away for a second. He was teasing her, pretending to fumble but actually letting his hand caress her slowly before beginning to remove the garter.

With a mixture of relief and disappointment she felt his hands leave her leg as he triumphantly held up the garter for everyone to see. She blushed at the knowledge that so many people got a view of a garter that had seen a lot more action than she wanted anyone to know about.

"Come on, toss it" she said, managing to sound excited when she was actually just eager to have it out of view.

He gave her another suggestive look and then turned to the crowd.

"Just so we're clear…" he said. "I want this back."

While some of the guests laughed he finally tossed the garter, and Blair crossed her fingers hoping it would at least be someone she knew who caught it. It was, but she made a mental note to have it properly washed a few times over before wearing it again when she saw that it was Dan Humphrey who had caught it.

Chuck extended a hand to her and helped her get up from her chair. She turned to the unmarried women who were waiting to catch her bouquet.

"And just so we're clear…" she said. "I want this back too."

She turned around and tossed the flowers. She then quickly turned back around to see who had caught it. It turned out to be some woman she barely recognized. Serena gave her a playful pout, slightly disappointed that she hadn't caught it.

Blair walked over to the woman with her bouquet and with a smile requested the flowers back. The woman glanced reluctantly at the bouquet but handed them back to the bride. Blair then handed them to Serena and raised an eyebrow.

"You know what we talked about. Do not let these wither."

Dan came over and introduced himself to the woman who had caught the bouquet before he turned to Blair.

"Blair Waldorf's underwear…" he said in a musing tone, studying the garter as he held it up to give it back. "Bass. Sorry."

"I'll take that now" Blair said with a sweet smile and snatched it back.

"Right, sorry" Dan said, blushing slightly.

"Come on, you have to dance" Serena grinned, almost pushing the woman into Dan's arms. "It's tradition!"

The band began to play again and Dan led the woman out to the dance floor. Chuck came over and wrapped his arms around Blair from behind, taking the garter from her in the process.

"I think I'll hold on to that for now" he said. "Kind of like… a promise of what's to come."

"You're deluded if you think I will be wearing that during our honeymoon" Blair said. "Dan Humphrey had his hands all over it. Gross."

"Oh come on B" Serena laughed. "Or Bebe, as I'm seriously considering calling you from this day forward."

Blair didn't reply. Instead she let Chuck lead her back to the dance floor in the hopes of getting another dance together.

-

_She made it almost all the way through the ceremony without crying. She got past the readings, the music, the vows, the exchanging of the rings… She could hear her parents sniffling, as well as most of her bridesmaids, Dorota more than anyone else. Even Chuck was a bit teared up. But she had made it so far with few close calls. Not that she minded the idea of crying at the altar, but she had her makeup to think of, and no bride looked good in her wedding photos if her eyes were all puffy._

"_By the power invested in me…" Father Matt began._

_That turned out to be the breaking point. Tears filled her eyes and she let them roll down her cheeks without any attempt to stop them. She could always check her face in the mirror before they stepped outside the cathedral to be photographed._

"_I now pronounce you husband and wife" the priest continued, and then turned to Chuck. "You may kiss the bride."_

_Chuck's hand left Blair's and he took her face between his palms. He leaned in and gently let his lips brush hers. It felt amazing to feel his lips against hers after seven days, but a sting of disappointment went through her. This was how he kissed his wife for the first time? If this was his way of repaying her for the week without kissing idea then she would find a proper way to retaliate that night._

_Then after a second he pressed his lips harder against hers and she opened her mouth, letting him kiss her tenderly and just passionate enough for it not to be inappropriate. She kissed him back the same way, letting her hands rest on his shoulders._

_After a few seconds he ended the kiss softly, almost causing her to moan with disappointment. That kiss had been everything she had wanted it to be, and if it wasn't for all those pesky guests looking at them she could have continued for hours. She smiled when she opened her eyes and looked into his, the look in his eyes promising her that there would be more where that had come from._

-

"What do you say we get ready to make our exit soon?" Chuck said, leaning down to talk into her ear.

She was sitting with a number of distinguished guests, fully enjoying their attention and her new role as the wife of a promising young business man with quite the legacy to boot. Chuck had just walked up to her after taking a look at the time, eager to start wrapping things up now that the reception had been going on for a few hours.

"Whatever you think is best, sweetie" she said.

"You know that stance won't last" Chuck said knowingly to the men at the table, then he kissed Blair on the cheek. "I'm gonna go find Camille and the toastmaster and tell them we're leaving; I'll be back for you after that. We should say a few words before we head off."

He kissed her on the lips and then walked off. Blair felt a touch of relief. She had been enjoying herself immensely during the evening, but for the past hour she had barely seen her husband. They had been continuously whisked away by different groups of people eager to talk to them and any attempt to sit together had abruptly ended after only a few minutes. She wanted to be with him, not with everyone else, and the thought of finally leaving to celebrate just the two of them was very appealing.

Chuck came back after a few minutes and wrapping an arm around her waist he addressed the crowd.

"The wife and I would like to thank you all for being here" he said after clearing his throat. "The party is by no means over, but it is time for Mrs. Bass and myself to make our retreat. We have a more exclusive party to attend, and none of you are invited."

"We hope you've had a wonderful evening" Blair added. "Keep enjoying the food, the music, the wine. There's a lot more where that came from."

"Anybody who wishes to say goodbye before we're off… form a line" Chuck said, only half in jest, casting a glance at his watch. "We will be out the door in fifteen minutes. Thank you and… goodnight."

He had barely finished speaking before Serena came up and threw her arms around him for a second, before giving Blair a long hug.

"Oh, I can't believe you're leaving" she said tearfully.

"Don't worry Serena, I'll return her in roughly the same condition" Chuck teased. "You don't need to act like she's going away forever."

Serena didn't reply, wiping a tear from her face, almost causing Blair to start blubbering as well. Chuck shook his head, and then found himself on the receiving end of a big hug from Dorota, who was also crying.

"Finally, you make Miss Blair honorable woman" she said.

"Dorota!" Blair exclaimed.

"Can't wait for babies" Dorota continued, pushing Serena to the side so she could give Blair a hug. "You will have such beautiful babies."

"Easy there, Dorota" Chuck smiled. "Let's get a place to live first, before we start thinking about babies."

After almost exactly fifteen minutes of their closest friends and family trying to get a hug and a word in Chuck took Blair's hand and firmly walked towards the door. Now that they had made the decision to leave he wanted to leave as soon as possible. No more delays.

They stepped outside into the cold December night and walked up to the waiting limo. Arthur opened the door for them and they got in, alone at last.

"Finally" Chuck sighed. "Not that I didn't have a good time, but it's such a relief to get away from all those people and just being alone."

She took his hand and scooted a bit closer.

"And soon we can start our private celebration…" she said.

* * *

Well that officially concludes the wedding, I guess… But there are a few more chapters to come. Let me know what you think of this installment, and have a nice day =)


	28. Honeymoon

So once again I have to disappoint (geez, why do people keep reading? Lol). No steamy wedding night chapter. Simply because writing M-rated isn't my thing, and it would be _really_ boring if I wrote it PG ;) You'll have to make do with only a reference or two (though if someone wants to use the premise and fill in the blanks then be my guest).

Hope what you're getting in this chapter is at least somewhat satisfactory!

* * *

He couldn't keep a smile off his face. He was standing at the foot of the bed watching his wife sleep. He usually woke up before she did and often enjoyed the opportunity of watching her while she slept. He knew most people engaging in such activities did so during the night and not in the morning, but since his partner was a lot better at staying awake than he was that was usually not an option. Instead he watched her in the morning, after he had woken up.

Her hair was a mess, the result of undoing her hairdo the night before, but he kind of enjoyed seeing her otherwise so perfect tresses in this disarray. She was sleeping heavily, exhausted from the long day and very active night they had had. Just the thought was enough to make his smile even wider.

Had it been worth those six months of pure torture? He wasn't sure. Last night had easily been the best night of his life, but whether or not that was thanks to the abstinence was a question for the ages. He had been worried that the night would end in fiasco but she had been convinced otherwise. He doubted he would ever forget the sight of her still in her wedding dress kneeling to, in her own words, "take his edge off".

After that she had disappeared into the bathroom and returned wearing lingerie which looked surprisingly familiar. It had taken him a moment to realize where he knew it from but then he had smiled. He didn't have the slightest clue how she had managed to get her hands on the exact same lingerie he had practically fallen in love with while he was shopping with Nate, but nothing she did surprised him anymore.

They were in a luxurious cabin in Aspen, where they would stay until the 27th, so they could celebrate a white Christmas. So long as this weather held up he planned on spending the days in the ski slopes with her, and the nights either in bed or on the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. There was also a hot tub outside which Blair was very excited about. In case the weather didn't hold up he would be more than happy to skip the slopes and spend all their time horizontally. Then on the 27th they would fly off to a more exotic location for the duration of the honeymoon.

He had been watching her for a while now. His eyes took in every inch of her, what little was visible above the covers anyway. She was sleeping on her right side, with her left hand resting by her face. It had spent the night resting on his collarbone, but when he had gotten up to use the bathroom he had gently put it down by her face instead.

The gold ring on her ring finger caught the small stream of light coming in through the blinds and it made his heart skip a beat. During the ceremony yesterday she had worn her engagement ring on her right hand, so that he could place the wedding ring on her left. Sometime during the evening she had moved the engagement ring back to her left side, placing it outside of the wedding ring. She wore a plain golden band, an exact match to the one on his left ring finger. It looked beautiful on her.

The sight of the ring made him remember something. There had been so much else going on the day before that he had never stopped to wonder what she had had his ring engraved with, and he had no idea if she had checked to see what her ring said. He had toyed with the idea of simply inscribing it with "_XOXO_", but it had seemed far too simple and generic. Instead he had ended up choosing three simple words. "_Inevitable. Eternal. Inseparable._" It wasn't exactly perfect, but he hadn't been able to think of anything else that was short enough to fit inside a ring.

He removed his own ring and tried to see what it said, but the lighting was too dim. Silently he moved around the bedroom, replacing all the burned out candles with new ones and lighting them one by one. Then he removed his ring again and held it up to the candlelight to see what it said. He chuckled.

She too had gone for three simple words. "_Lost and found_". It described him perfectly.

He crawled back into bed with her and kissed her awake, his favorite method of waking her up in the morning. She opened her tired eyes and smiled at him as he settled down next to her. She then noticed the lit candles and her smile got wider.

"Good morning Mrs. Bass…" he mumbled against her lips. "Tell me, how did my wife sleep? Do you feel happy?"

"Delirious" she whispered. "Though I'm not really sure I did sleep. I'm so tired, I feel like I could sleep for another month."

"Well you did sleep" he smiled. "Like an angel. Though I don't blame you for being tired. All of your hard work paid off. Yesterday was… incredible."

"Last night especially" she smiled and caressed his cheek. "You were amazing. But you always are. So how is my husband this morning?"

"Lost and found" he replied.

"Oh, so you found that, huh?"

"It's perfect" he said and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I'm curious to see what mine says."

"It's not as perfect. I blame the fact that I'm a man who lacks the ability to speak his mind like a poet."

"That's not exactly true" she smiled. "Your love monologues could make e. e. cummings green with envy."

"But since you're wearing a wedding ring, not a wedding hula-hoop, none of my monologues seemed to fit."

She laughed and rolled over on her back, moving as close to him as possible while she took off her rings and handed the engagement ring to Chuck before she held up her wedding ring to the light. She read the engraving and smiled at a memory.

"I love it. I still remember that time in senior year when you told me we were inevitable" she said, putting the ring back on her finger.

"You do? I don't."

"Yeah you told me that when I told you I wanted nothing more to do with you. I snarled at you of course, but secretly it made me really excited. You couldn't say those three words, but at least you gave me enough to assure me that you wanted me. I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted you, but it was great to know I had the option."

"I thought about engraving those three words, eight letters, on your ring" he said and slid the engagement ring back on her finger. "But I prefer saying them out loud. I love you."

"And I love you. For waking me up like that every other morning, for lighting candles all over the room, for what you had engraved on my wedding ring…"

She kissed him hungrily and pulled him over on top of her. She had a lot to make up for after six months of chastity and was more than eager to do so.

-

An hour later they were curled up in blankets on the bearskin rug, though without a fire roaring. In front of them were breakfast trays and a large paper pile Camille had put in Chuck's suitcase. He picked up the paper on top and examined it.

"Look at all these telegrams" he said. "Thank goodness they didn't read them last night at the reception. There must be at least fifty or so."

"Mother always sends a telegram when she gets an invitation to a wedding she can't attend" Blair nodded. "Since ours was so close to Christmas I don't blame some of the people we invited for not coming. Getting back home to Europe or flying across the US on the 23rd can be quite the hassle."

"According to Camille at least half of these are from people we didn't invite" he said. "Preppy people from all over the world I presume. Should we bother reading them, or do they all just say '_Congratulations on your nuptials_'?"

"Some probably do" Blair said. "Though I know Mother likes to send along a poem or something like that, to, as she puts it, 'personalize' it. Which is a load of crap anyway since she has Dorota select a text."

"Not anymore she doesn't" Chuck smirked. "Dear old Dorota works for the Basses now."

Blair laughed happily and kissed his cheek. She then rested her chin on his shoulder while he looked through the first two telegrams, which only included a brief "congratulations" and little more. The third one he picked up had a poem.

"Which one is it?" Blair asked. "I feel like I know most by heart by now after all the times I've watched Dorota pick something out."

"'_To My Dear and Loving Husband_'" Chuck read and then gave her a grin. "Addressed to me exclusively, apparently. How nice of you to send me a telegram. Via the governor of New York."

"Anne Bradstreet" Blair said. "I think."

"Correct you are."

"_If ever two were one, then surely we_" Blair recited from memory. "_If ever man were loved by wife, then thee_. It's one of my favorites."

"Never heard it before" Chuck admitted.

"Put it over there" Blair said and pointed. "Keep the ones that actually say something in one place and the ones that are just standard congratulations in another. I want to put those with poems and such in a binder."

"Let me guess, you're planning on occupying at least one shelf of our future library, or maybe office, with wedding binders and photo albums?"

"And the guest book" Blair smiled. "And you should take the time to read that poem. It's beautiful."

"Or my wife can recite it to me" Chuck shrugged.

"If you behave I might…"

He picked up another telegram and cast a glance at it before putting it in the pile for telegrams sans poems or personalized messages. A few more like that followed, and then he grinned and showed the one he had just picked up to Blair.

"Wow…" she remarked.

"You know you're rich and/or accomplished enough to 'be someone' when one of your favorite actors sends you a telegram on your wedding" he noted with a chuckle. "Did you read what it said?"

"_Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient, faithful, prudent and manly_" she read off the telegram. "So he, or his assistant, quotes Thomas à Kempis. Cute, if slightly gay."

"What's cute, if slightly gay, is that you seem to know not only the words to everything, but who wrote it."

"When I was little I used to help Dorota select the texts, and I always imagined that when I got married someone would send telegrams with those texts to me" she said.

"Who knew Chuck Bass could make childhood dreams come true?" Chuck commented, picking up another telegram. "We seriously can't go over all of these now. A few more, then we should get outside. The weather is lovely."

"How about some eggnog when we get back?" Blair suggested. "I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I've been so preoccupied with everything having to do with the wedding that I've barely had time for my usual Christmas craze. But, I did remember to bring your Christmas present."

"You sure did" he said, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"No, this one is gift wrapped" she said, frowning at him. Then she sighed and picked up a telegram. "I've spent so much time planning for yesterday… Now that it's all behind us it kind of feels weird. What am I supposed to focus all that energy on now?"

He leaned in and kissed her.

"For your consideration…"

"Great. But what about the time I don't spend in bed with you?" she said.

"May I suggest you take this spring to focus on college? After taking some time to just relax and unwind? Now don't get me wrong, part of me has enjoyed watching you run about like a poodle with ADHD, but now I would like to see you perfectly relaxed for a change."

She laughed.

"Like you haven't gotten to see that since we got here… I couldn't move a muscle when we were done last night."

He smiled but made no comment. He picked up another telegram, glanced at it then put it in the less personal pile. Blair got up and announced she was heading for the shower. He mumbled a reply and put aside the telegrams for now. He grabbed a slice of melon from the breakfast tray before casting a glance at the clock. He was surprised to see how late it was already. They had better get a move on to make it out to the slopes. Some fresh air, exercise and good food was exactly what they needed to prepare for another long night in bed.

-

After dinner that evening they sat down by the fireplace, this time with a fire roaring, and shared the piece of wedding cake Camille had sent with them.

"Can you believe it…" Blair said. "Twenty-four hours ago we danced our first dance."

"I can't believe you've been going on like that all day" Chuck said. "When you first noted in the ski-lift that it was twenty-four hours since the ceremony started I thought it was cute. But by now it's the seventh time you've noted something like that."

"So?"

"So, how about you move on from yesterday and enjoy our first day as husband and wife" he said, placing whipped cream on her nose.

"I am enjoying it" she said, wiping off the cream. "It's just that yesterday was so special…"

"And today hasn't been?"

"Well, today has been more low-key" she smiled.

"Slightly…" he agreed. "But what had you expected? Yesterday was the first time in half an effin' year. Nearly impossible to top that."

"That wasn't what I was referring to" she said with a smirk. "But did I just hear an admission that the six month wait was worth it?"

He didn't answer her question, focused on finishing the last of the cake. Blair grinned. In a throwaway remark before they set off downhill earlier in the day he had told her he'd done the math on how many times they averagely had sex in a week and calculated how much sex she owed him, and made it clear that he expected her to have repaid him by summer.

"What should we do on Christmas?" she asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

"I was thinking we'd do something totally rad" he said. "We could open presents, eat turkey, watch '_It's a Wonderful Life_', drink some eggnog and perhaps even trim a tree."

"One problem though" she smiled. "We don't have a Christmas tree in this cabin."

"Blair" he said, in a slightly condescending tone. "I'm Chuck Bass. If my wife wants a tree, we're getting a tree."

"Oh, you could go outside and cut one down on your own!" Blair said with overplayed excitement. "You know, like a real husband."

"Like what real husband?" he asked. "We're New Yorkers. We buy our trees pre-cut."

She laughed and leaned her head against him.

"A tree would be nice… We could go really old school and make popcorn and put it on strings."

"Let's not get carried away" he said and kissed the top of her head. "Don't you worry, Blair. I plan on making our first Christmas as lawfully wed a memorable one."

"How about we spend all of Christmas Day in bed?" she suggested.

"I don't think Jesus would appreciate the gesture" he grinned.

"Oh, like _that's_ ever mattered to you."

"Well we did just get married in his house" Chuck argued with a grin. "If he blessed our marriage we could at least not disrespect him on his birthday."

"You've got something planned, all right…" she said, giving him a look. "That's the only reason you'd say no to an entire day in bed."

"We could reschedule that day in bed for… well, most other days on our honeymoon" he suggested. "Like New Years."

"If you get to plan Christmas then I get to plan New Years" Blair declared.

"That might be difficult for you since you don't know where we'll be on New Years" Chuck pointed out.

"Oh I'll think of something, even if it is last minute" she assured him. "How many places will we be going to anyway?"

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"You're effing annoying" Blair sighed. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see. How many destinations can you cram into two weeks?"

"Time will tell."

She gave him a look and a playful smack on the arm. Then she got up from her spot by the fireplace.

"Where are you going?" he complained.

"Hot tub" she declared with a shrugging shoulder. "Give me a hint about where we'll be on New Years and I'll let you come with me. Give me two hints and I'll let you dry me off in front of the fireplace when we get back inside."

"We won't be here on New Years" he said, getting up to follow her. "That's one. And two, we won't be in the next cottage over."

Groaning at the not so helpful clues Blair walked off to the bedroom to change into swimwear, her grinning husband in tow.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Have a nice day =)


	29. Holidays

People were more ticked off than I had expected over the lack of a wedding night chapter… Again, sorry! Looking back I can understand how the no-sex thing might seem like a long set-up for such a chapter, but when I first wrote that in I wasn't even going to include the _reception_, the idea was to let the ceremony be the final chapter… Ironic, since I didn't end up having a ceremony chapter. All I can say is, I apologize.

As always, thanks a bunch to my reviewers! Whether you are positive or critical, I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to let me know what they think.

* * *

Just past nine o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day Chuck woke Blair up with a kiss. She gave him a tired smile before stretching and purring contently. She had already made up for one sexless week in the three days that had passed since the wedding. Only twenty-five to go and she intended on getting started on it right away.

Eyes closed she reached over to grab Chuck and give him a kiss, and was startled to find he wasn't there. Surprised she opened her eyes just in time to see him stand up and slip into his robe. She frowned and pouted.

"Hey!" she said. "Get back here. It's Christmas and I have something I want to give you."

"That's endearing" he smiled, tossing her the other robe. "Come on, get up."

"It's Christmas" she whined. "A day to lounge in bed. I don't want to go outside."

"Neither do I" he said. "But since when is Christmas a time to lounge in bed?"

"Since you got married" she said. "Come on. Breakfast in bed…"

She stuck a leg out from underneath the comforter and suggestively ran a hand from her knee to underneath the covers. Chuck's eyes followed her hand and she could see that he was tempted. She grinned.

"And I will be dessert."

"Wonderful as that seems…" he said with a gulp, "we really ought to get up. I already ordered breakfast, and it's been set up in the kitchen."

"Big bore" she pouted.

"Love you too" he said and left the room.

With a sigh she realized she wasn't going to get her way, and she flung the comforter off her and sat up, slipping into her robe. She walked over to the bathroom to freshen up and after one glance in the mirror realized why he hadn't been up for anything amorous. She wasn't the most enticing sight at the moment. Her hair needed to be washed, not to mention brushed, she had dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep and a quick sniff was enough to assure her that she desperately needed a shower.

Fifteen minutes later she had taken a quick shower and washed her hair. She was back in her robe, which really ought to be sent to washing, and she walked back into the bedroom pleased to notice that he wasn't there. She wasn't going to give up without a fight, she was getting her way with him, especially now that she was freshly showered and looked better. She opened her small suitcase, the one she had packed on her own, and with a smirk decided what to wear.

A few minutes later she was back in the bathroom, brushing her teeth when he came in and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Didn't you hear me tell you breakfast was ready?" he murmured against her neck before placing a kiss there. "It's probably cold by now."

"Needed a shower" she said, mouth full of toothpaste.

"You're so sexy when you're brushing your teeth" he teased.

She ignored him and finished brushing. He had of course already been up to shower and brush his teeth before he woke her up. It was a bit annoying that he was always a step ahead of her in that regard, getting to be clean and fresh and without morning breath when she first saw him in the mornings.

When she was finally done he took her hand and led her out towards the kitchen.

"I'm effing starving" he announced. "I have to eat like a horse to keep up with all the energy you're making me spend."

He flashed her a grin and led her inside the sitting room with the fireplace and the tree they had decorated the previous afternoon. Her eyes were on him at first, but when he stopped she stopped as well and looked around. What she saw made her gasp and a hand automatically flew up to her mouth.

When she had left the room yesterday the signs that it was Christmas had been limited. They had the tree, a few gifts underneath it and stockings on the mantelpiece. The room she saw now looked vastly different. There were ornaments in place every here and there, the decorative pillows on the sofa had been replaced with Christmas themed pillows and cinnamon scented candles were burning while soft Christmas music played from the stereo. But the biggest surprise was that the room was filled with gifts, far more than she could even begin to count. Wide-eyed she took in the sight and then turned to look at him.

The look in his eyes clearly showed how pleased he was with himself and with her reaction. She wanted to say something but it took her a moment to be able to form words.

"Chuck… What on earth have you done?"

"Happy Christmas to you too" he smiled.

"Happy Christmas…" she answered mechanically, taking another look around. "Look at all these… gifts! I knew you like to spoil me, but this is insane."

"Oh don't get too self-centered" he chuckled. "These aren't all from me to you. These are for us both."

"From _who_?"

"Well I don't know if you recall, but we had this wedding a few days ago and--"

She gave him a playful punch on the arm, cutting him off and causing him to laugh.

"These are our wedding gifts" he clarified.

"I… don't have the slightest clue how you managed to get them all _here_" she gasped.

"By air" he said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Yeah, _that_ part I figured."

"Like I said, I wanted to make sure it was memorable" he said, wrapping his arms around her. "So do you like it?"

"I _love_ it" she said, a grin spreading on her face. "But… How and _when_ did you get all of this in here? How could I not have noticed?"

"You really think _I_ carried all of these gifts in here?" he asked. "Please. I may have a romantic streak to me, but physical labor is where I draw the line. I _arranged_ this, but the working bees did the actual work."

"That still doesn't explain the how and when. I never left the cabin after we left this room yesterday."

"I made sure they had access to a key" Chuck said, shrugging a shoulder. "Last night when we were out in the hot tub they began sneaking stuff in… Then I made sure to keep you occupied. Come on, you wouldn't have noticed if a parade of elephants had passed through our bedroom last night."

"I hope these walls are soundproof" Blair sighed, slightly uncomfortable at the thought. Then she thought of something else. "How are we going to get all of this back home?"

"Same way I got it all here?"

"It's much more difficult to transport stuff once it's opened and--"

"Stop worrying" he said, cutting her off. "Seriously… do you like it?"

"No" she said, shaking her head. Then she grinned. "Like I said, I love it. It's like the largest collection of Christmas gifts ever! Come on, let's start opening them!"

"Not so fast" he said, grabbing her hand as she was about to skip over to the gifts. "There's one more thing, and you failed to notice it. Look above you."

She looked up and saw a mistletoe strategically hung above the doorway they were standing under. She let him pull her in for a kiss, discreetly letting her robe slip open.

"Thank you" she mumbled against his lips. "Seriously, I can't believe you arranged all of this. You're awesome."

"I am" he agreed and kissed her again.

"Okay, I want to open presents now" she said with an excited giggle.

"Breakfast first" he said. "There are a lot of gifts in here. We need to refuel before we can get started on all of this. There are two breakfast trays over on the coffee table."

With a sly smile she pulled away, gave him a look and backed slowly into her room. When she did he noticed that her robe was open and she was wearing Christmas themed lingerie underneath it. He swallowed hard and her smile widened. The look on his face as he let his eyes run up and down her body left no doubt that she had him right where she wanted him.

He took two steps up to her and slid the robe off her shoulders before running a hand up her side. She shot him a playful frown and wiggled a finger at him.

"Uh-uh" she said. "None of that. We're having breakfast."

"You just put yourself on the menu."

"Yeah, no, no sweets before you've had a proper breakfast" she said sweetly, enjoying her upper hand. "Some toast? I'm starving. Was that porridge I saw on one of the trays?"

She bent down and picked up her robe, pulling it back on but letting it hang open. She then walked over to the sofa, sat down and treated herself to the breakfast laid out for her.

Chuck snickered and walked over to her, sitting down as close to her as possible. He moved her hair, still wet from her shower, away from her neck and placed a kiss where he knew he would get a reaction. He then picked up a piece of toast and took a bite.

"There" he said. "Now I want you."

He leaned over to kiss her but she placed two fingers on his lips and gently pushed him back.

"Uh-uh" she scolded with a smile. "I'm eating. Finish your breakfast."

"Is this your way of thanking me for getting all our gifts here?" he asked dryly.

"What? You were the one who said we should start with breakfast" she said innocently.

"And out of all the times you could actually do as I ask, this is the one you choose?"

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

He shot her a look, but obediently began to eat. Every now and then he cast her a glance. She was contently humming along to the music, eating her breakfast like she had no care in the world and all in all acting as if she wasn't sitting next to him in very tempting lingerie on the third day of their honeymoon.

She was very pleased with herself. Her original plan had been to distract him from breakfast entirely and use the table for other purposes, but this was a lot more fun. He had turned down her advances earlier in the morning and now he was getting a taste of his own medicine.

She finished her breakfast before him. When he was done he turned to grab her, refusing to wait another moment, but she skipped up from the couch with perfect timing, leaving him fumbling in the air.

"I feel like a child at Christmas" she declared, clapping her hands with excitement.

She turned and the excited look on her face was one of such genuine happiness that he couldn't respond with anything other than a matching smile, and for a second he forgot that he didn't want to start opening gifts right away. But only for a second.

"Come on sloth, let's get started" she bubbled.

"Oh I intend to" he said seductively.

He got up and walked over to her, pleased that she had stopped right on the bearskin rug. She let him kiss her before plopping down in front of the crackling fire, taking a good look around her to determine the best strategy for opening all the gifts.

He got down next to her and with a hand on her cheek firmly turned her face towards him and leaned in for a kiss. She let him kiss her for a while, still with no intent of letting him have his way with her but enjoying the fact that he thought he was.

"So do you want to open the first one or should I?" she then asked casually, as if she had no idea what was really going on in his mind.

He leaned back and took off his robe, which left him wearing nothing at all.

"There" he said. "I went first. Your turn."

"Maybe we should start by opening our gifts to each other" she mused, showing no reaction at all to his lack of clothing. "After all, they are the actual _Christmas_ gifts. And it would be kind of sad if they lost momentum after we've opened the other three hundred or so gifts."

It frustrated him to no end that she was ignoring him, or pretending to at least, so he decided to ignore her chatter right back. Gently he pushed her down until she was on her back, and with a grin he noted that she didn't resist but instead stretched out obediently. He leaned over and started kissing her neck, more than done with her little power play. Having been a good boy during six months of engagement the last thing he wanted now was for her to play hard to get.

"Only problem is…" she continued, trying to sound unbothered by his actions but not entirely able to hide her reaction, "we put our gifts there yesterday and they're at present hidden somewhere behind a wall of wedding gifts. Maybe we can open our Christmas gifts tonight in bed?"

He looked up.

"First decent thing you've said in a while" he mumbled, before continuing to feel her up.

She reached above her head and grabbed a gift, holding it up and studying it with faked interest. She didn't care a bit about the gifts at this point, but she wanted to string him along for as long as possible.

"Chuck, darling, would you mind getting a notepad from my suitcase in the bedroom?" she said sweetly.

He looked up at her with complete disbelief.

"That is the strangest sexual metaphor I have ever heard" he said. "Translation please."

"A notepad. From my suitcase" she clarified, grinning inside at the look on his face. "We need to write down who gave us what."

"You're not serious…"

"I'm dead serious! How are we supposed to write thank you cards properly later if--"

He shut her up with a kiss, forcing her mouth open with his tongue. She kissed him back and he knew he could win this game.

"One more word out of you…" he gasped when his lips left hers, "and I will grab your hands and tie them down with some tinsel so you can't open any stupid gifts."

"Threat or promise?" she smirked.

He shot her a look before standing up and pulling her to her feet. She looked surprised, having not anticipated this move. He slid the robe off of her again and removed the satin belt, rolled it into a ball and stuffed it in her mouth.

"There" he said.

She burst out laughing from the sheer ridiculousness of it all, removing the ball of satin from her mouth and untangling it.

"God, you're _worse_ than a little kid on Christmas" she laughed. "But okay… If your self-control is _that_ lacking then…"

He smirked at her.

"Oh I think I've proven since June that my self-control is far more apt than it should have to be."

She wrapped the belt from her robe around his shoulders and sat back down, pulling him down with her.

"Right…" she said seductively. "I believe I still have some making up to do for those six months… If my husband so pleases."

He grinned widely as she finally decided that the game was over. The presents could wait.

-

By the time they would normally have lunch they weren't even close to halfway finished with opening the gifts. They were on the floor, Chuck with his robe loosely wrapped around him while he leaned against the armchair by the fireplace, Blair sitting between his legs with a blanket wrapped around her front. They took turns opening wedding gifts and were in no hurry to get through the large collection of presents.

"Uh-oh" Chuck said, reading the card on the next gift he had picked up.

"What?" Blair asked.

"Jack Bass sent us a gift. This can't be good. We should have had a bomb squad check it before daring to open it."

"Oh come on, how bad can it be?" Blair asked.

She picked up her notepad and wrote down Jack's name, then turned her head to see what he had gotten them. Chuck eyed the box, gave it a little shake and seemed to contemplate not opening it at all. Blair gave him a nudge and he reluctantly opened the parcel.

When he saw what was inside he jolted and flung it off on the floor with a startled look on his face. Blair frowned and leaned forward to see what was inside.

"We should congratulate your uncle on finding the world's weirdest wedding gift" she said as she picked it up and shook it about.

It was a rubber spider in a box, with a card attached to it. Blair put the box down and picked up the card.

"I was _not_ expecting that" Chuck said, eyeing the box with dislike.

"I could tell. It's not _alive_, you know. But if it had been, it would have been dead now anyway after you shook it around like that."

She read the card and shook her head.

"It says that now that we're married we're going to start building our own home, and no home is complete without a pet. Apparently he's sent a real tarantula to your penthouse, complete with terrarium."

"That's disgusting" Chuck said. "He probably thinks you're afraid of spiders and wanted to freak you out."

"_You're_ afraid of spiders."

"I'm not _afraid_ of them, I'm _disgusted_ by them."

"Whatever" Blair said. "You're going to have to get used to them, apparently."

"What, you want to _keep_ it? Why aren't _you_ afraid of those things, anyway?"

"I don't know, I guess I just see too many similarities between myself and the arachnid" she said, shrugging a shoulder. "Spinning our webs, cutthroat attitude, fondness of silk… Dorota's hysterically afraid of them though. She's going to hate this."

"You _seriously_ want to keep it?" Chuck asked with disbelief, glaring at the rubber spider with disgust. "In our home?"

"Why not? Great way of sticking it to Jack, who probably thinks we'll both freak. Plus we can show it to unwanted guests and they'll be quick to leave. Hey according to this card it's a girl spider."

"So?"

"We could call her Jackie. In honor of the person who gave her to us."

"You think Jackie is a good name for a tarantula?" Chuck asked. "Isn't it a bit too… pedestrian?"

"I like it" Blair said, shrugging a shoulder.

Chuck groaned and reached for the pillow sitting on the armchair. He threw it over the gift Jack had sent them, far from willing to keep looking at the thing. He hated spiders. Meanwhile Blair wrote down "Jackie" as the gift Jack had sent them and then put her notepad down before reaching for another gift.

"This one is from Serena" she said. "I'm guessing this won't be a pet."

He muttered something under his breath and reached for his mug of hot chocolate while she opened the present. Inside was a large glass jar and a bag of marbles. Chuck frowned.

"A jar… and marbles. Marbles, really? Is this Serena's way of telling us she lost hers?"

"Oh, I get it" Blair said and leaned back against his chest. "We were talking about it the night before the wedding. They say that if a couple puts a marble in a jar every time they have sex during their first year of marriage, and after that they take one out each time they have sex, they will never empty the jar."

"Remind me to thank my sister for giving us a chance to prove otherwise" Chuck said and grabbed the marbles and the jar from Blair so she could jot it down in her notebook. "But we're going to need a bigger jar. And a lot more marbles. I pity Serena's sex life if she thinks this will be enough."

He opened the jar and the bag, fishing out a handful of marbles. He counted contently as he placed one marble in the jar for every time they had had sex since the wedding. Blair smirked and made a mental note to thank Serena for this rather clever gift. Even more clever of her to bring it up the night before the wedding.

"Should we bother putting the lid back on the jar?" Chuck said. "We're going to be putting a whole lot of marbles in this thing."

"Best put the lid on for now" Blair smiled. "Hey what do you say we take a break? I'm starving and it's about time for lunch."

"I don't want to get up" he complained.

"Then don't. I'll go order us some food."

"Dressed like that?" he asked as she got up. "Or should I say _un_dressed like that?"

"What?" she giggled. "I can use the blanket as a toga if you prefer. Or I can put the lingerie back on."

"Actually that would be kind of fun" he grinned. "The thought of you opening the door to let room service in dressed like that."

She smirked and picked up the discarded underwear from the floor before leaving the room to order food. He leaned back further and sighed. He hadn't wanted to get up, and he most certainly hadn't wanted her to get up either. But she had a point. His stomach was starting to growl loudly, and the thought of some lunch was very appealing. What energy he had gotten from breakfast was more than spent by now.

After a while she came back to the sitting room with a tray with something that smelled like pasta. By that time he had moved and was now sitting in the armchair. She sat down on his lap and revealed that she had indeed ordered one huge bowl of Pasta Alfredo. She took a bite and grinned, finding the food to her liking. She tried feeding him a bite but some of the pasta sauce missed its mark and landed on his bare chest.

"Ow!" he complained. "Okay, I'll feed myself I think."

"Sorry" she said before licking the pasta sauce from his chest.

"We're eating" he pointed out. "Try not to turn me on until after lunch."

"You are a big bore today" she smirked but obediently handed him the fork after taking another bite for herself.

-

Blair took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of flowers, and closed her eyes for a second. She opened them and smiled happily at her dance partner. Diego was a tourist from Spain who had been complimenting her for days, asking her to save a dance for him at New Years. Now it was New Year's Eve and she had agreed to a dance with him.

She cast a glance over Diego's shoulder. Chuck was watching them with a smile from his spot over by the fountain. She had been surprised that he hadn't said anything when her new admirer came to collect his dance. Hopefully this didn't mean he had his sights set on dancing with one of the hot women present.

They were at a New Year's Eve dance a couple of miles from the beach house they had been staying at since they arrived four days earlier. Blair had insisted they go out dancing and Chuck hadn't objected, even though she knew he had hoped they would spend the evening alone together. But the thought of dancing the night away at such a lovely location was too tempting for her to pass up on, so they had had an early dinner together at the house and then changed their clothes and head off.

She was wearing a floor-length, sparkling dress in royal blue, a dress made for dancing in. Chuck had given it to her for Christmas, though probably not with the intention that she'd wear it for the first time at a party. He liked dancing as foreplay, but dancing out in public didn't quite serve the right purpose, especially not when her dance partner was her new fan from Spain.

When the dance was over Blair got a round of kisses to the cheeks, a declaration of her beauty and a kiss on her hand. Diego seemed set on making the most of the moment he had, but before he could get too carried away Chuck came up and grabbed her hand for the next dance. She gave Diego an air kiss, thanked him for the dance, and let Chuck lead her into the next.

"Poor fellow" Blair sighed. "Destined to forever love a married woman."

"A hundred bucks says he won't remember you two weeks from now" Chuck said.

"Hey!" Blair objected. "I'm memorable!"

"Well, who am I to argue Claire?" he teased. "But I wouldn't take his love for you all too seriously."

"You're just jealous" she smirked. "You should be thankful you managed to land such a hot wife."

He laughed and twirled her around on the dance floor. It was just past eleven and they had been at the party for a few hours. Diego wasn't the only man who had wanted a dance with her, but so far he hadn't been too accommodating to the men who wanted to test her skills in waltz and tango. He was getting more than a little sick of people always trying to cut in when he danced with her.

"Let's go for a walk" Blair said when the dance was over.

"A walk?" he echoed. "Really?"

"Lovely as this evening is, I'm getting a little tired of the crowd" she said. "And it's really hot here with all these people, I could really use some cooler air and a bit of solitude."

"What happened to my wife the party animal?" he asked.

"She'll be back shortly" Blair said. "She just went for a walk."

She led him through the crowd of dancing couples out to a little path that led down to the boardwalk by the beach. Holding his hand she walked slowly, taking several deep breaths as they passed by more kinds of flowers than she knew to identify. She loved how this place seemed to smell like flowers at all times. They walked in silence for a while, him letting her set the pace and direction.

"I can't believe our honeymoon is almost over" she finally said, breaking the silence.

"Two weeks go by fast" he replied. "Especially two weeks like these."

"We should have gone for a full month" she sighed.

"I know… But reality calls. I have to get back to my business and you have to get back to college."

She nodded in the dark, glancing down at their hands while they walked. Her left hand was in his right, the way he preferred. He had obediently walked on her right side during the engagement, and now that they were married he was back on her left. The whole circus that had begun when he got down on his knees in the limo seven months ago would be wrapped up in a few days when they returned to New York. Sure, they still had some things left to do before everything wedding related was taken care of, but the end of the honeymoon felt like the official end of the wedding circus.

In a way it made her feel sad. The wedding had been on her mind day and night from the moment she said yes to his proposal. She had waited her whole life to be a bride, to get to plan her dream wedding, and for seven months the upcoming wedding had overshadowed all other things in her life. Now it was almost over, and it was bittersweet. Why was it that you could spend years and years looking forward to one moment, and when that moment had come you almost felt disappointed that you didn't have that thing to look forward to anymore?

"What's on your mind?" Chuck asked when she had been silent for almost five minutes.

"Just… nothing" she said, offering him a smile.

"You seem a bit melancholy" he said. "Is something not the way you like it? Is there anything you need?"

"I have everything I need" she replied with a content sigh and rested her chin against his shoulder for a second. "I have you."

"Then what?"

"It just hit me that it's all really over in a few days" she said. "As far back as I can remember I've dreamed about my wedding. Now what am I supposed to dream of?"

"What is it with women and weddings?" Chuck sighed. "If I didn't know better I'd think you wanted the wedding more than you wanted the marriage. If that's the case then I'm sure we can have an annulment and get married all over again. Of course once we've done that a few times, people will stop showing up to our weddings."

"Ha ha" she said, making a face at him. "I don't want to get married _again_. I don't ever want to be a bride again. It's a once in a lifetime thing for me, that is what makes it special. But when you've achieved a lifelong goal you sort of find that it leaves a bit of a void. I need to find some other goal to strive for instead."

"How about your college degree?" Chuck suggested. "And after that, perhaps you and I should start thinking about starting a family?"

She nodded slowly.

"Yeah… Listen, I'm sorry if I sound disappointed that the wedding is behind us, rather than excited that our marriage is beginning. It's just that it was such a wonderful day, it was everything I wanted it to be, and those were some pretty high standards to live up to seeing as I've dreamed of it since childhood. I'm so excited to be married, but it's a bit sad to know our wedding day is over and will never come again. For the record though Bass, throughout all the craziness this year it's being your wife that I've wanted, not being your bride. I guess I'm just feeling the same kind of blues that you do whenever you leave a milestone in your life behind. Like the way it felt to graduate high school, or move out of my mother's penthouse…"

"Weren't you the one who said to me the night before the wedding that the wedding was the beginning, not the end? In fact, didn't you just say something to that affect thirty seconds ago? Feel a bit low that the wedding has come and gone if you wish, but on the other hand, we can always renew our vows in ten or twenty years."

She chuckled.

"Good point" she nodded. Then she looked up at him with a smile "Anyway, why waste time thinking about that now? It's still our honeymoon, it's only the second week of our life together, and it's New Years Eve."

"Speaking of, 2012 officially comes to an end in about twenty minutes" Chuck said, glancing t his wristwatch. "We need to get a move on if we want to make it back to the party. Welcoming the new year on a dark pathway isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"You forget, tonight is about what _I_ had in mind" Blair said. "You planned Christmas, I planned tonight."

"I somehow doubt you planned for us to celebrate it out on this path."

"Who says that's what I had in mind? Don't you see where we are?"

He looked up and realized she had led them back to their beach house. She had taken a back route he hadn't even known was there, and it made him wonder when she had had the time to discover this path and where it led.

With his hand in a firm grip she walked up to the patio and fished out the key from his pant pocket. He smirked and let her lead him inside the empty house. Without saying a word he followed her through the rooms on the bottom floor and up the stairs leading to their bedroom.

"I was thinking…" she said as they reached the top of the stairs. "We should start our own new tradition. That's what families do. They make their own traditions."

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking then we might find what you have in mind kind of difficult to keep up year after year" he said. "We usually spend New Years with other people."

"This year we're not" she smiled and closed the bedroom door behind them. "This year we're celebrating New Years Eve Bass style. But first… One more dance."

* * *

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed the read.


	30. Homecoming

Sorry for taking so long, but here's the next chapter! Who would have ever thought this story would end up with thirty chapters? I can't believe so many of you have stuck with me for that long – thanks to all of you!

I had writer's block with this chapter so it might be a tad uneven. And I've still got some writer's block so I don't know when chapter 31 will be posted. Probably not before Easter.

Anyhoo, hope you enjoy the read!

* * *

Blair shrieked with laughter as Chuck lifted her up in his arms when the elevator doors opened, and carried her into the Empire penthouse.

"My shoes!" she cried as her slip-in Manolos fell off her feet and down on the floor.

"Buy some real shoes instead" he laughed. "Like rubber boots. You would look hot in a pair of rubber boots… provided that's all you're wearing."

She threw her head back and laughed. Before she could think of a suitable reply a thrilled shriek cut through the penthouse, almost causing Chuck to drop Blair on the floor. Serena came rushing in from the kitchen, making Blair think of an exited golden retriever welcoming its owners back home.

"You're here!" Serena cried, clapping her hands with excitement.

"So are you" Chuck noted, far less excited.

"I had to come welcome you home" Serena exclaimed as Chuck gently put Blair down. "How was your trip?"

"Sweaty" Blair said.

"Naked" Chuck offered.

"Fantastic" Blair added with a grin.

"I'm only interested in the parts without the sex" Serena said while giving Blair a big hug.

"You want to hear about when we ate, slept and went to the bathroom?" Chuck asked with rolling eyes.

Serena gave him a light punch on the arm before hugging him as well.

"It's so good to have you back" she grinned.

"This whole wedding thing has really made you a softie" Chuck noted. "I can't remember you ever hugging me, then I make an honest woman out of your best friend and all of a sudden you're hugging me all the time."

Serena shrugged a shoulder and grinned. Blair picked up the shoes she had dropped and grabbed Chuck's arm for balance while putting them back on.

"Are my flowers still alive?" she asked.

"Yes, and I've also saved some stuff from the reception that I thought you might like. The little couple from the top of the cake, a copy of all the printables, the centerpiece from your table, cue cards from speeches, I stole the champagne flutes you drank from…"

"Since you're volunteering to be on our staff, how about you put this away for me?" Chuck said, handing her a small suitcase he had just gotten from the elevator.

"Sure" Serena said, picking the suitcase up. "Must be a mighty special suitcase if you brought it up yourself. Did you think to buy us presents?"

"If you consider red, fluffy handcuffs and cherry flavored massage oil presents…"

"Gross" Serena said with a pout.

"It's jewelry Chuck gave me for Christmas, and some memorabilia from the honeymoon" Blair explained. "Non-sexual memorabilia."

Serena smirked at them and obediently carried the suitcase into their bedroom. A few seconds after she disappeared from view they heard a high-pitched scream, followed by a string of "oh my God"s.

"I guess Jack wasn't kidding" Blair noted to Chuck.

He made a grossed out face while she skipped inside the bedroom and indeed found a terrarium with a large tarantula inside sitting on the dresser. Serena, who hadn't noticed the spider until she had put the suitcase down and turned around, was in the corner on the other end of the room, trying to push herself back through the wall while covering her face with her hands. Her fingers were slightly parted and every other second she cast a glance at the terrarium and squealed again.

"Blair what _is_ that?" she shrieked.

"Oh you met Jackie" Blair said, walking over to take a closer look at the new pet.

"_Jackie_? Who the hell is _Jackie_?" Serena cried.

"A wedding gift from Jack Bass" Blair said, putting her fingers against the glass right where the spider was. "Our first pet as husband and wife. Neat, huh?"

"Blair you know I'm terrified of spiders, get rid of it" Serena complained.

"I have to agree with Serena for once" Chuck said from the doorway where he was watching his wife and the spider with trepidation.

"We can't drive our baby to the door" Blair gasped, unable to stop herself from teasing him. "Jackie is family."

"That thing is not staying in our bedroom" Chuck said firmly.

"Come on darling, it's just a spider" Blair said with a little smirk.

"It's icky! Get it out of here right now" Serena squealed.

"Well I'm not setting foot in here until _Jackie_ has moved into Nate's room instead" Chuck declared.

He turned and started directing his staff, who were bringing up suitcases and wedding gifts. Blair went over to Serena, grabbed her arm and strode out of the bedroom quick enough for Serena not to have time to freak out over getting closer to the tarantula.

"Geez, look at all this stuff" Serena commented when she saw how much was carried into the penthouse. "Where are you going to have room for all of this?"

"Nate's still on Aruba with Mary" Chuck told her. "He doesn't get back until after the weekend, so until then we'll put all this stuff in his bedroom. Then we're moving it to storage while we look for a real apartment."

A valet from the hotel walked in with the jar Serena had given them. Blair went over and took it from his with a smile, carrying it to the bedroom. Serena cast a look at it and her chin dropped a little.

"Okay, you guys cheated, didn't you?" she said. "There's no way you had that much… marbles in just two weeks."

"What do you expect from Basses honeymooning?" Chuck asked.

"I'm starting to regret coming over" Serena said, making a face.

"S where did you say you put my bouquet?" Blair asked.

"In the kitchen."

"Great. Chuck let's grab it and go."

"Go where?" Chuck asked, flopping down on the couch. "I just got back home after two weeks. The only place I plan on going to is the bathroom. And maybe the bar."

"I want to stop by Bart's grave before the flowers wither" Blair said, walking to the kitchen.

"But I'm tired" Chuck groaned.

"It will only take an hour or so" Blair yelled from the kitchen.

"So how were your holidays?" Chuck asked Serena with a resigned sigh.

"Uneventful" Serena said. "Tom took me to his cousin's place in Michigan. Turns out not a lot happens in Michigan."

Chuck opened his mouth to reply just as Blair strode back in with the bouquet in her hands.

"Come on Bass, let's go!"

"Maybe you should bring the spider with you too" Serena suggested. "And leave it at Bart's grave along with the flowers."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I _love_ you" Chuck said to Serena as he reluctantly got up from his seat.

"Okay if you're going to be this grumpy then no marbles tonight" Blair said and headed for the elevator.

"Welcome home" Serena giggled as Chuck rolled his eyes.

-

Blair enjoyed lingering in bed the next morning, having nothing to do all day but relax and take it easy. Chuck wasn't as fortunate, and after kissing her awake and failing to coax her into joining him in the shower he got up and got ready for his busy day.

Blair yawned big and stretched. She contemplated giving Serena a call and going out shopping, but it was still before eight in the morning and there was no way Serena would be awake before ten. She caught a glimpse of Chuck through the open bedroom doors and smiled. He was dressed, back in a suit after two weeks of far less formal wear, and he was in the middle of a phone call. He was holding the phone up to his ear with his left hand and Blair had a perfect view of the ring adorning his ring finger. It made her grin. The feeling she got in her stomach whenever she thought of the fact that he was her husband now was one of a kind.

He walked out of sight and she turned her gaze up towards the ceiling. Last night had been calm and eventless. They had both been tired from the travel and after they got back from Bart's gravesite they had ordered up dinner and then headed off to bed early. No marbles.

Chuck walked in and gave her a crooked smile.

"So this is how it's going to be now?" he said teasingly. "The breadwinner heads off early in the morning to toil with the other slaves while the trophy wife stays among the Egyptian cotton sheets."

"First of all, don't bother winning any bread because nobody here eats it" Blair replied. "Second, when have you ever toiled? Third, you're only a slave to me, in this room. Fourth, trophy wife? I am insulted!"

"I am willing to negotiate that last part" Chuck said and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her left hand in his. "If you'd prefer I could chain you to the stove where you can give birth to a score of brats."

"Forget it Bass" Blair said, casting him a look. "Didn't you hear me just now? You're my slave, I'm your mistress and I work my slaves hard. In fact, forget mistress. Dominatrix is a better title."

"That's a lot of big talk, Bass" Chuck said and leaned in to kiss her. "Careful… I might expect you to live up to it."

"You couldn't handle five minutes of me in dominatrix mode" Blair said sweetly and kissed him back.

"I believe I've lasted for fifteen" Chuck mumbled against her lips.

She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He groaned with frustration.

"_Now_ you want to play" he complained.

"I just thought you might want me to… perform my wifely chore."

"When I have to be out the door in three minutes."

"Like you need more than three minutes."

"And with that I've officially lost wood" Chuck sighed and got up.

"You're welcome…"

He shot her a glare but she only smiled sweetly at him and blew him an air kiss.

"So what are your plans for today?" he asked, grabbing his watch from the dresser.

"I thought I'd go shopping with S."

"It has been over three weeks since you last updated your wardrobe" Chuck nodded. "Visa must think you're in a coma. And Prada's probably on the brink of bankruptcy."

"Very funny."

"Yes, I thought so."

"I was actually thinking about stopping by a pet store."

"And find a loving home or an abandoned wasteland, whichever's easier, to dispose our so called pet at?"

"Get used to her, she's not going anywhere."

Chuck made a face. Before they had left for his father's grave the day before he had made one of the people bringing up wedding gifts move the terrarium into Nate's room. He wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible; it made his skin crawl just to know it was in the house.

"Actually I was thinking about getting like a leash for her" Blair said.

"It's not a dog, Blair. You're not going to carry it around in your purse at social events, are you?"

"I'm pretty sure you can get tiny golden chains that you put them on with a loop for your finger" Blair said. "That way we can have her out of the terrarium without risking her running away."

"Take that thing out of that glass box and I will file for divorce" Chuck said firmly. "Now I'm off for a meeting. If I come home to find you have bought any form of accessories for that horrible creature I will put it up on craigslist. And possibly you as well. Bye."

"You're no fun when you're cranky!" she called after him.

He didn't respond, already halfway to the elevator. She yawned big and rolled over on her side. She could easily get another couple of hours of sleep before getting up to call Serena, but she wasn't sleepy right now. Her mind was too busy planning how she would greet Chuck when he got home that evening. Cooking was not her strongest suit but she did know how to make a pretty decent pesto salmon. The thought of welcoming him home in traditionally wifely manner by having a home cooked meal ready made her smile. The thought of him finding her in the sexiest version possible of a housewife fresh from the kitchen made her smile even wider.

She cast a glance at the jar of marbles sitting on his nightstand. She planned on adding at least three more marbles to it before midnight.

* * *

Please review! Have a nice day =)


	31. Picture Perfect

Happy Easter everybody!

I wrote most of this in one sitting this evening, hope it will suffice.

And as per usual, thanks goes out to everyone who's reviewed. I really appreciate your comments =)

* * *

Chuck came home early one afternoon and found Blair doing yoga in the livingroom.

"I see college is taking a real toll on you, Mrs. Bass" he commented. "Not a moment's rest. Poor thing."

"Yoga is good for my concentration" Blair replied.

"Uh-huh. Go back to the position you just did. The… downward triangle, is it?"

"I've already done it four times" she said. "Why again?"

"Just humor your husband" Chuck said with a light shrug, leaning against the glass wall.

Without further comment Blair resumed her previous position, giving Chuck a good view of her rear end. He grinned at the sight and wondered how many times he could get her to do that position again.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing" Blair snorted. "Where have you been all day, anyway?"

"Putting the finishing touches to our brunch" he said, taking a seat on the couch. "Isn't there something called a downward facing dog? Show me."

Blair ignored him and moved on to the next pose she had in mind. Chuck made a face, not finding the tree pose to be nearly as exciting.

"So as I was saying…" he said. "The brunch is pretty much all planned out."

"Good" she chirped. "But don't try and sound like you deserve credit for it just because you oversaw the last two or three details. I'm the one who put the whole thing together."

"Maybe you don't understand marriage. You do all the work, I get all the credit."

She shot him a murderous look and he laughed. With an annoyed huff she stepped off her yoga mat and headed off to take a shower. Chuck continued to chuckle as he leaned forward to grab the folder sitting on the coffee table. Right next to it was yet another one of her notebooks. He had thought her passion for notebooks would wither after the wedding but it seemed their preparations for a lifelong commitment had made her find a lifelong friend in the notebooks.

He opened the folder and grabbed the sheets of paper lying inside. They were blueprints and pictures of a dozen apartments in the finer neighborhoods of Manhattan, which their pretty grumpy realtor had sent over during the day.

Chuck eyed through the different apartments, not finding anything that particularly stood out at first glance. He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted, but unfortunately so did Blair, and their visions of their perfect home were quite different from one another. So far they had found three apartments that one of them liked, but of course the other had hated it. He had a feeling this would be a long process, and couldn't quite fault the realtor for being in a permanent bad mood.

He was still looking over the different apartments when she got back from her shower. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and she was dressed in a dark green sweater and a skirt he knew she wouldn't be caught dead in outside of their home. She clearly wanted to stay in tonight and he had no objections. Staying in with her tended to be a lot more fun than going out with someone else had ever been.

"What do you think?" she asked, taking a seat next to him.

"I think we need to keep looking" Chuck mumbled.

"I like the one close to my mother's penthouse" Blair said, pointing at one of the sheets.

"And I like not living next door to my mother-in-law" Chuck replied.

"Fine. But unfortunately we can't be too picky. There are only so many houses and apartments on this annoyingly small island. Maybe we should relocate."

"To where? New Jersey?"

"That's not even almost funny."

"Well we're obviously not going to be moving in to any of these places" Chuck said with a sigh and threw the folder on the coffee table.

"We'll find the right place eventually" Blair said. "You look tense."

"Well you left the most annoying part of the brunch planning process to me" Chuck said, massaging the base of his nose.

Blair moved behind him on the couch and started rubbing his shoulders. He leaned his head back and groaned.

"My poor baby…" Blair said in a pouty voice. "Having to stop by his hotel and make sure everything is in order for tomorrow, that his wife arranged everything perfectly. Why didn't I just send you straight to the salt mines if I wanted to put you through such strain?"

"Okay, thank you for the massage" Chuck said, glaring at her while he pushed her hands away.

She smiled and kissed his cheek before skipping up from the couch to go take the towel off her head and hang it up. Chuck watched her go and glanced at the folders sitting on the coffee table. Suddenly he remembered something.

"I can't believe I almost forgot…" he said loud enough so that she could hear him from the bathroom.

"Forgot what?" Blair's wary voice asked.

"I made a stop on the way over to the Palace" Chuck told her as she came back into the room.

"Yeah?"

He paused for a moment and looked at her with a smile. Her wardrobe may be plain and she wasn't wearing any makeup but he had to take a moment to catch his breath at the sight of her. Her hair especially. It hung down her shoulders in uncombed, still wet curls. He almost never saw her hair like this unless he showered with her; she was always quick to blow-dry it and style it. She looked so comfortable and domestic, yet still incredibly arousing. He couldn't believe this woman was married to him.

As to drive that point home Blair lifted her left hand and ran it through her curls absent-mindedly. He forgot about the folder he had been going to get from his briefcase and took two steps over to her.

"Made a stop and what?" she asked.

He didn't answer. Instead he kissed her passionately and pushed her back inside their bedroom and up against the glass wall. She responded instantly and wrapped her right leg around him while they ran their hands through each other's hair.

Chuck came up for air and then kissed her again with even more hunger. His hands started to slide down her figure and before long he picked her up and carried her over to their bed. He couldn't even remember right now what he had been about to tell her before she came out from the bathroom.

"I just showered" Blair meekly protested when Chuck's hands disappeared under her sweater.

"See if I care. Marbles top showers."

"I'm going to need to shower again pretty soon, aren't I?" she sighed, feigning annoyance.

"Don't whine about it to me. Suit yourself for being the hottest ball and chain on the planet."

"For your eyes only" Blair smirked.

Chuck sniggered and pulled her sweater over her head.

* * *

"Hey…" Blair mumbled when she got back the energy to form coherent thoughts.

"Mmm?" Chuck mumbled, more asleep than awake.

"You were going to tell me something."

"Mmm… You're amazing."

"No, you were going to tell me something I didn't already know."

Chuck forced his mind to try and think. He was exhausted and in a complete state of bliss, and had no desire to do anything more than drift off to sleep and let Blair wake him up when she had ordered up dinner. But she was nudging him, curious to know what he had been about to tell her before he got distracted.

"Chuck."

"Just five minutes…"

"_Chuck_" she said more forcefully and gave him a shove.

"Snuggle time was better pre-nuptials" Chuck remarked, opening one eye to glance at her.

"Come on. I want to know. What were you going to tell me? You made a stop on your way to the Palace, and..?"

"Right" he said, reluctantly sitting up. "Hang on."

"Chuck don't you dare go to lie down in Nate's bed!" Blair called after him as he left the room. "I'm serious, I want to know."

"Relax, I picked up something on my way to the Palace" his voice came. "I'm just gonna go get it."

She got up and grabbed her robe hanging on the bathroom door and wrapped it around herself. She usually found herself freezing after sex, the contrast between the heat within them and the actual room temperature making her feel cold. Especially when her husband got out of bed and took his body heat with him.

"Okay…" Chuck said, walking in with a folder just as she crawled underneath the covers. "This is what I wanted to tell you before. The photographer called and I picked up our wedding pictures. The samples. We need to decide which ones we want."

"Ooooh!" Blair chirped, bouncing up and down in the bed while clapping her hands with excitement. "Show me, show me, show me!"

He crawled into bed next to her and handed her the folder with a kiss. She opened it while he fished out his pajamas from underneath his pillow and got into them. He too was getting cold.

In a very ceremonious fashion Blair opened the folder and gently picked up the three sample sheets with the pictures they had taken at the photographer's. Chuck scooted closer and she propped herself against him, giving them both a better look.

"Wow…" she smiled. "This is so great! I cannot believe you seduced me before telling me about this."

"I didn't hear you complaining while we were having sex" Chuck smirked.

"Just look at these, these are fantastic" Blair said with awe. "Most of them anyway. Ew, that second to last one makes me look deranged."

"What are you talking about?" Chuck laughed. "You look cute. And don't insult my wife."

"How are we supposed to be able to choose just one of these?" Blair wondered.

"Who says we only get to choose one? Last I checked we have money. We can have a different wedding photo up in every room if you'd like."

Blair giggled.

"Now that would be kind of fun. I like you're thinking. We could get a number of these, for different purposes. One for the thank you notes, one for my mom and Cyrus, one for Dad and Roman, seven for us…"

"Why not just put one up in the hotel lobby?" Chuck asked dryly.

"Maybe over the mantelpiece at the club…" Blair mused.

"Let's just focus on selecting _one_ for now" Chuck said and grabbed the second sheet. "Which one do you like best?"

"I'm really not sure…" Blair hummed, looking over the third sheet. "The ones where we are smiling widely or laughing look the prettiest, but they're not classical or particularly classy. How about this one?"

"I can't even tell if we're smiling at all in that one" Chuck said. "Come on Blair. Don't you want a photo that reflects how we felt that day?"

"Yes but I don't think we can find one where we both look horny."

Chuck snorted and gave her a nudge. She grinned and studied the three sheets carefully, trying to find the best photo. It was too hard. And there were too many different variations to choose from.

"I _love_ this one" she finally said.

Chuck squinted and eyed the one she had pointed to. It was a shot of them from the waist up where he was standing behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was smiling down at her and she had turned her head to smile back at him.

"This one?" he said. "You can't see your face properly."

"But you look so good."

"So do the circa 30 percent of you that's actually visible" Chuck replied. "I want to be able to see more than that. I like this one much better."

Blair studied the picture he pointed to. It showed them from the side, facing each other, a second away from kissing.

"Chuck, kissing pictures are so tacky" she commented. "Which is unfortunate, since we're kissing in at least a third of these."

"Blame the photographer. I told him to stop taking pictures when we kissed. I'd like to point out though, we're _not_ kissing in this one. We're just about to. And just so you know Mrs. Bass, I want one of these kissing photos for us to keep."

"My little sap…" Blair said with a smile. "What does my sappy husband say to ordering up some room-service? I'm starved and I have this weird craving for soup. Mushroom soup."

"Sure" Chuck said. "Phone's on your side of the bed."

Blair reached over to grab the phone.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I'll have the same as you."

While she ordered he studied the sheets carefully. This was not going to be an easy decision to make. Luckily they didn't have to decide anything tonight. His eyes caught one of the pictures and he smiled. It was taken shortly after the one Blair had pointed to earlier, but he liked this one better. Blair's face was more angled towards the camera and her eyes were closed with a happy smile on her face. Her groom was looking at her with a tender smile, and he had leaned his head down a bit so that their noses touched. Blair's hand was resting on his cheek, leaving the wedding ring in clear view.

"When I'm all grown up one day and I have an office, this is the one I'm going to be putting up there" he told his wife.

"Which? Let me see."

She studied the tiny picture and nodded.

"Not really my thing…" she said. "I like the one from before better. When _I_ have my own office, I will be having _that_ one up."

He chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. No doubt there would be a lot of discussion back and forth before they landed on any pictures to give to other people.

* * *

The next day they held the brunch for their Empire employees, and assorted people who for one reason or another had not been invited to the reception. Blair enjoyed herself to the fullest, for the first time playing the role of high society wife hosting an event. It wasn't something she planned on doing all that often in the future, but the marriage was still so new that she took pleasure in any opportunity where she could play the wife role to the fullest. Chuck had shook his head and told her he didn't get what was different about hosting a brunch now compared to before the wedding, to which she had scoffed and told him not to worry his head about the minds of women.

He enjoyed watching her from across the room as she ordered the Palace staff around right before the brunch was set to begin. As always she was the vision of perfection. No one could tell from looking at her that she had only gotten a few short hours of sleep last night, spending most of the night behaving in a very unladylike fashion with her husband. He always marveled at how she could go from being his bedroom wildcat to perfectly cool and collected society lady in no time at all.

She finished bossing the staff around and came up to him sporting a lovely smile. He smiled back and slipped an arm around her waist as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Everything to your satisfaction?" he asked.

"It suffices" she smiled.

"Macaroons and éclairs?"

"Put some aside for us."

"That's my girl."

"I'm a married lady now. I think I've grown past being a girl."

"I won't call you a woman unless you bring me a scotch."

She shot him a look but smiled as she walked off to get his drink. She returned with it just in time for people to start arriving and he took two deep sips. His arm wrapped around her waist again, this time slightly more possessively. He was always aware of the look on most men's faces when they laid eyes on her and even though this was Mr. and Mrs. Bass hosting the brunch he liked silently pointing out who she belonged with.

"Come on" she said and took his hand. "Let's go say hi."

"To who?"

"Everyone" she grinned. "I'm dying to hear people address me as Mrs. Bass."

He laughed and followed her as she made her way to a group of people who normally worked the front desk of the Empire. She had heard people address her as Mrs. Bass numerous times already, especially the hotel staff, but he loved her excitement over it. And, he loved hearing her addressed as such just as much as she did.

* * *

Please review!


	32. Finishing Touches

This chapter is a bit uneven but I hope it works anyway. I was multitasking while writing it, thus the unevenness.

I don't know if there's that much else to say right now… Hope you like the read!

* * *

"Isn't it _amazing_?" Blair exclaimed and threw her arms in the air as if to say 'tadaa'!

Serena stepped inside and stopped to take a look around. She couldn't help but let her chin drop at the sight of the place. Blair turned to her and grinned.

"Isn't it S? I can't believe we found it so fast."

"Fast?" the realtor muttered from the other end of the room.

Blair paid no attention to her. After three months she and Chuck had finally found an apartment they were both happy with, and Blair was very excited about getting to furnish and decorate their first real home together. It was possibly the finest penthouse on Park Avenue, at least in Blair's opinion, complete with its own garden and a pool. It needed some renovation, but Blair only saw that as a positive. It allowed them to put their own mark on the place before even moving in.

"The master bedroom is _masterly_" she told Serena. "Chuck doesn't want a king-sized bed, says it's pointless since we sleep so near each other, which means there will be enough room to add a shoe closet. By the way, his girl scout painting will not be hanging above our bed anymore, I ordered a 1x1 meter sized wedding photo of us to put there instead. And the guestrooms are great. I'm thinking we should either have each guestroom be a different color, or just go with all of them decorated in cream and brown."

She prattled on about the marvels of their new digs while giving Serena the tour. Serena couldn't help but feel more than a little jealous, more and more for each room Blair showcased. The place was fabulous.

"The garden is going to look so great in summer" Blair said with a pleased sigh while opening the large patio doors so they could step outside. "I haven't quite decided what flowers I want to have yet, but that's not top priority right now. First we have to get the indoors parts renovated and furnished."

Serena followed her around the garden, making a few comments here and there whenever she could get a word in, before following Blair into the kitchen.

"You will be hiring a top chef, I presume?" Serena said, taking a seat on one of the bar stools by the island counter.

"Top chef, top valet, top decorator, top gardener… Top everything" Blair said with a happy shrug, sitting down as well.

"Your quest for the top decorator is not going so well…" the realtor said, having followed them around for the tour. "I spoke to her myself yesterday and she's booked fully until September."

"Not a problem" Blair said cheerfully. "She'll just reschedule whatever moron she's working for in June when the renovations are due to be completed, and come work for us."

"The moron she will be working for in June is the prince of Belgium" the realtor said with a tone that implied she was more than tired of rich people and their demands.

"I'm Mrs. Chuck Bass" Blair told her in a condescending tone. "She will come work for me. Now shoo, go make sure everything is locked that needs to be locked before we leave."

The realtor gave her an annoyed glare but obediently wandered off. Blair made a face, counting the days until she could send this grumpy woman packing.

"Gee Bebe, using Chuck's catchphrase now too?" Serena commented, rolling her eyes. "Isn't that a little…"

"What's his is mine" Blair chirped. "Now come on, let's get out of here. I want to have lunch and then I have a couple of furniture stores I want to stop by."

"Why not let that super great interior decorator handle the furniture stuff?" Serena asked while jumping off her stool, not too eager to spend the afternoon looking at couches and bedside tables.

"I'm so excited about finally finding our apartment, I want to start looking at furniture right away" Blair grinned. Then she turned to the realtor, who had just walked back in. "And if only you had shown us this place weeks ago I could have gotten much further with my planning for the place."

"You're not my only client, you know" the realtor said with an annoyed sigh.

"Actually I kind of am" Blair replied. "At least in the sense that I'm your only client that matters. Besides, one would think it would be in your best interest to sell us something really quick considering you don't exactly seem to like the company of other humans."

She strode out from the apartment with Serena in tow, leaving it to the realtor to lock up. Serena kept her silence until they were back out on the streets, then she couldn't keep it in any longer.

"B did you really have to talk to your realtor like that?"

"What?"

"No wonder you have grumpy people on your staff if that's how you talk to them."

"Oh please. That realtor was grumpy from the moment of conception. And can you blame me for being annoyed that she didn't show us this place sooner? It's been on the market for three weeks and someone else might have snatched it if we'd been out of luck."

"Well I just think there's wisdom in the old saying 'do unto others as you would have them do to you'."

"Since when did you become a born again Christian?" Blair asked with rolling eyes. "I'm not going to have to go visit you at OMJC camp, am I?"

"No" Serena said. "But I think there's a lot of sense in that saying."

"Really? Because I have a husband who enjoys being spanked with a paddle; by your philosophy he should thus be doing exactly that to our employees. Actually that might be a good way to deal with this stupid realtor."

"That is so not a logical way of putting that philosophy into actual use" Serena groaned. "And thank you so much for a mental image I might require a lobotomy to be rid of."

"What, the paddle?" Blair scoffed. "He's got lots of kinks way weirder than that. If you keep pestering me about how to deal with my hired help I might give you a full list."

"Fine" Serena said, throwing her hands up in resignation. "At least I tried."

* * *

"Blair?" Chuck called out when he stepped into the Empire penthouse a few days later.

"Once we move in to our real home, I think you should start greeting me with: 'Honey, I'm home'" Blair answered from her spot on the floor. "It sounds more marital."

"And what will you greet me with if you come home after I do?" Chuck asked and leaned down to kiss her.

"I don't know. Feel free to make suggestions."

He smirked and plopped down on the couch, eyeing her curiously. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded with catalogues, photos, color samples and the like. In her hand she had a notebook and even though she had a pen in her hand she had tucked a pencil behind her ear, just to complete the look.

"I would ask you if you're working on something for college, but I doubt NYU offers classes in interior decorating."

"Huh?" she said, looking up from her notebook. "Oh, all of this? I'm compiling a few different suggestions for how we could decorate some of the rooms in our apartment."

"Remind me, why am I paying for the best interior decorator in the city if you're going to do all her work for her?"

"_You're_ not paying. _We_ are paying."

"Yeah, question's still the same though."

"Because I'm excited and I like imagining our immaculate home."

Chuck shrugged a shoulder. In his opinion Blair should be spending less energy on things they paid other people to do, and more energy on school. Somehow she always seemed to manage to find time for college as well, but he preferred it when she didn't focus on everything else until two days before an exam. She was never much fun to be around in those final two days, studying around the clock.

Before their wedding she had usually withdrawn to her dorm room during any high intensity study period but now that they were married he wouldn't allow it. He had made sure she had been moved out of her dorms the same week they got back from their honeymoon. The only problem was that now she kept him up at night reading her books, or woke him up when she crawled into bed at three or four in the morning after finally tearing herself away from the computer. On one occasion he had woken up at six-thirty and found her still writing on one of her papers. He had slammed her laptop shut, ignored her long list of unusual methods she would kill him in for having done that, and thrown her over his shoulder to carry her to bed.

He made a mental note to get a hold of that interior decorator the next day. Maybe if a professional started looking at the place already she would let the whole thing go, or at least put less focus on it, and he would get to keep some of his sanity.

"I'm thinking eggshell and green for the sitting room" Blair said, interrupting his line of thought.

"Huh?"

"I think it goes well together" Blair continued. "Depending of course on which shade of green we use. White is always classy, and green brings color and a bit of spark, but it's not tacky like red or pink would be."

"Blair, I just sat through a three hour meeting with the board of Bass Industries" Chuck groaned. "Could we please not talk about this kind of stuff right now? Unless you want to discuss the plans for our bedroom, in which case my suggestion is a boudoir theme."

"Fine" Blair said and got up.

"Or a burlesque theme" Chuck continued. "Fitting, wouldn't you agree?"

"I said I would stop" Blair snarled. "What do you want to talk about instead?"

She sat down next to him and leaned against him while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I figured out what to do with the spider when we move" Chuck said.

"I was thinking she could live on the kitchen counter" Blair replied. "Next to a cookie jar or something. She could guard the cookie jar. Either that or we put her in the hallway so that she's the first thing you see when you arrive. That will surely scare off a few people who come around to bother us."

"I don't want to get home each day and be greeted by a tarantula" Chuck shuddered. "No, I was thinking we release it into the garden. If it survives then good for the spider, if it doesn't then good for us."

"Chuck!" Blair exclaimed. "That is so cruel! We can't do that to her!"

"_It_, not _her_."

"_She_ is our pet. She deserves a loving home."

"Which it will never get under my roof."

Blair rolled her eyes. She had decided that if Chuck could simply admit that he was arachnophobic then she would give Jackie away. If he didn't then she would keep the spider around. If she knew her husband as well as she thought she did, that tarantula would probably still be around when the first Bass baby was born.

"Let's not talk about the ugly vermin my ugly vermin uncle sent us…" Chuck said and leaned closer to kiss. "I have an idea for how you should greet me if you get home after I do. Let's go inside our bedroom so that Nate doesn't walk in on us while I show you."

"Oh, speaking of Nate…" Blair said.

"Not a sentence I want to hear when I'm horny" Chuck frowned.

"No, he met up with me earlier" Blair said.

"Also not a sentence I want to hear when I'm horny."

"We picked up a package."

"This is turning into a streak worthy of DiMaggio."

Blair frowned and gave him a light smack on the arm.

"Pay attention. Nate and I picked up a package, several actually. Why they couldn't be delivered to our door I will never know, but luckily for me Nate is as strong as a mule and Arthur is surprisingly easy to convince to carry stuff."

"I'm bored, but do go on."

"Well be un-bored" Blair said sternly and got up. "Bored is what you're going to be three hours from now when we're still not done signing out 'thank you' notes."

"Those came today?"

"Yes, and they are stacked in big boxes in our bedroom."

"Look, I know this post-wedding stuff is important to you and all that, but could we please do this some other night?" Chuck sighed. "I'm tired and there's a game on."

"Thirty seconds ago you were eager to have sex. You can't be _that_ tired, and the game can't be _that_ important."

"Passing on sleep and a game for sex is one thing" Chuck pointed out. "Passing on it to get a cramp in my writing arm… that's a totally different thing."

"Chuck, this is important" Blair said, straddling him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Please? For me?"

"It can wait until tomorrow, can't it?"

"No!" Blair griped. "Look, the sooner we get started on these the sooner they will be sent and we will have officially wrapped all the wedding stuff up."

"And I am perfectly fine with that not happening until tomorrow."

"Please…" Blair said in a pleading tone. "I'll make it worth your while…"

"Oh?" Chuck said, running his hands up her body. "Details?"

"Well if we don't do this tonight…" she said suggestively, before turning serious. "… We will both be sleeping on the couch because I had the boxes put in the way of our bed. If you want to get to your fluffy pillows you'll have to work for it."

* * *

An hour and a half later it didn't seem to Chuck like they had gotten anywhere with the 'thank you' notes. Especially since his annoyingly thorough wife had divided the notes into at least seven different categories which were all signed in different ways. Some simply thanked the receiver, some specifically thanked them for the exact gift they had gotten the newlyweds, or the speech they had given or something else more personalized. Others were for family and close friends and had longer messages, and a few thanked the receiver for something specific they helped the bride and groom out with.

Blair sat on the floor, leaned against the couch with a long list in her hand which specified which cards would say what. Each category had its own version of their wedding photo, an idea Blair had thought up to help them keep track of the categories and to get to select as many different photographs as possible. But it was still a long and boring task to sort through it all and make sure every card was signed in the proper way. Dorota was supposed to do it but she had the flu, and Blair didn't trust anyone else to take care of it.

But by now she was just as bored as Chuck. Her neck was starting to ache and the dinner she had sent Nate out to get hadn't arrived yet, putting her in a very grumpy mood. Chuck was even grumpier, but kept his mouth shut since he knew they would start fighting for real if he said anything at this point, and he figured it would be a bad sign if their first fight as husband and wife was over the last details of their wedding.

Blair glanced over at him and noted the look on his face while he sorted through a pile of the notes. She was starting to regret insisting upon doing this right away, but as it was they might as well finish what they had started.

She jolted when Chuck suddenly screamed and threw the notes he was holding as far away as he could. Her jaw dropped.

"What are you doing?" she cried. "Not only did you scare me, you made a complete mess of all those cards! Damn it Chuck, now we're going to have to start all over with those piles you contaminated."

Chuck didn't answer, he just stared at the cards with a shocked expression. Rolling her eyes Blair crawled over to where he was and began gathering the cards he had thrown while trying to see how much damage he had managed to do to the stacks of cards they had sorted through already. She found the card that had made him react and raised an eyebrow at him while holding it up.

"Get that thing out of my sight" he snarled and turned away his head.

Blair shook her head in disbelief. The card he had found was the one meant for Jack Bass, and it was the only one which didn't have a picture of Chuck and Blair together. Instead it had a picture of Blair, showing enough to reveal that she was wearing lingerie but not enough to show anything that would actually please Jack. She had Jackie in her hand and was kissing the spider. Her way of sticking it to Jack, since she figured he knew about his nephew's phobia and figured Blair also hated spiders. One of Blair's favorite ways of hurting her enemy was by showing him kindness, here done by letting him know she appreciated the gift.

"Oh come on…" she said to Chuck when he hadn't said anything for a minute. "I'm just screwing with Jack. This way he gets a nice 'thank you' note but we won't have to waste wedding pictures on him."

"Was that the lingerie I gave you a month ago for our hundred day anniversary?" Chuck asked. "I love that lingerie, I can't believe I have to burn it now."

"Obviously you didn't get a good enough look" Blair said. "It's just something I bought when I was with Nate way back when so feel free to burn it without any remorse."

"You still have lingerie you bought for him?"

"Oh get over it. If I were you I'd be more freaked that I kissed Jackie and about an hour later I kissed you. How about we take a break from all these notes until we've had dinner?"

She gave him her sunniest fake-smile and hoped he wouldn't ask her who had taken the picture, since both Serena and Dorota were petrified of spiders. She had a feeling he might not be too happy to hear she had gotten a guy from room-service to take the photo.

She carefully maneuvered over the piles of cards and sat down between Chuck's legs, kissing him before leaning back against his chest. She grabbed his hands and wrapped his arms around her before he could protest.

"I don't see why we have to send Jack Bass anything" Chuck said. "I loathe the guy, and you should too."

"Let's not talk about him anymore…" Blair said. "Chuck I'm sorry I forced you to go over all this stuff tonight. I know you said you were tired and you didn't want to. I'm just a little worried that if we don't do it right away then it won't get done in a timely manner. We've both got so much going on. You with your business, me with college, us both with the apartment…"

"My darling, the key is to schedule" Chuck said, feeling his annoyance start to slip away. "Put this in our schedules and we'll get it done. But can we please not do it at the end of the day when I want to actually have some fun?"

"Fine."

"Good." He gave her a soft kiss and then stood up. "Stay where you are. I had something in mind when I got home from work but I didn't get a chance to bring it up before you went all psycho bride on me again."

She frowned at being called a psycho bride but obediently kept quiet while he maneuvered over to where he had put his briefcase. He returned with what undeniably was a jewelry case and a wide smile spread across Blair's face.

"Chuck… What is this?"

"Don't get all excited" Chuck said, reaching out a hand to pull her up from the floor. "It's Efva Attling, so it's by no means expensive or one of a kind. After all, I can't spoil you this early in the marriage, that would be setting the bar far too high for years to come."

"What's the occasion?"

"Believe me, if there was an occasion I would have gotten you something really pricey" Chuck smirked. "This I got because I saw it and it reminded me of you. Now open it."

She opened the jewelry case and found a white gold necklace with a pendant, a rectangular aquamarine with a thin band of diamonds across the middle. It was probably the least expensive piece of jewelry he had ever bought her but she smiled nonetheless. It may not be exclusive, but it was pretty.

"I love it" she smiled.

"Good" he said, lifting it from the jewelry case and turning her around to put it on her. "Like I said… It made me think of you."

She was about to reply when the doors opened and Nate walked in with food. She took a step towards the kitchen but Chuck grabbed her arm and held her back for a second. He leaned in and she felt herself smiling when his lips brushed her ear.

"It's called Bend Over" he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her ear.

* * *

The necklace is real… I thought the name of it was kind of funny and that's why I wrote it in. I highly doubt Chuck would consider it expensive enough for Blair if he was out looking for a gift for her, but I couldn't resist the joke.

Anyways, hope you liked it, hope you'll review. Have a nice day!


	33. Endgame

Et voila! After more than thirty chapters this story is finally coming to an end. I'm really grateful to everyone who's been with me through all these chapters; it really means a whole lot to me. I'm especially thankful to everyone who's reviewed, but in particular those of you who have been faithful reviewers. I would like to name you all but I'm afraid I'll forget someone and feel horrible!

I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter!

* * *

"You don't have to do this Chuck" Blair said with rolling eyes.

She was still smiling though, secretly finding it charming. Chuck had lifted her up in his arms and was carrying her over the threshold of their house in the Hamptons. It was their first visit, on an unusually hot day in May.

"Yes I do" Chuck told her and spun around once before kissing her. "Get used to it. Whenever we get a new home you will be carried over the threshold."

"I think that's only meant to happen the first time we cross the threshold as a married couple" Blair objected. "We got that covered when we got back to the Empire."

"I'm not taking any chances" Chuck said and put her down. "But I would appreciate it if we could stop buying new places to live after I've turned forty. Or when you're pregnant. I don't want to hurt my back."

They walked into the sunny kitchen while members of their staff carried their bags and suitcases inside. They were planning on staying for at least a few weeks, getting an early start on summer vacation. Blair had completed her last exam for the semester and Chuck had whisked her off to the Hamptons as a surprise celebration.

Blair let her hand run against the mahogany kitchen table and stopped by the large glass doors leading to the patio. She sighed happily and smiled when she felt Chuck's arms wrap around her from behind.

The house was his morning gift to her. It was the same house she had been dying to get her hands on for ages. Chuck had been able to convince the owners to sell, and he had given Blair the key to the house the morning after their wedding.

Now that she was actually in the house for the first time, as the proud owner no less, she realized it was even better than she had thought it was before. She loved every detail of it and hadn't made any changes other than add their own furniture. Chuck had given her free reigns with the decorating, since the house was hers anyway and not theirs. It was just the way she wanted it to be and she couldn't be more pleased.

"If this weather keeps up we'll be able to use the pool" Chuck noted.

"The pool is heated. We can use it even if the weather doesn't hold up" Blair replied. "Though I'm not sure when we're going to squeeze that in. We've got a lot of rooms to christen."

"And I thought this was supposed to be _vacation_" Chuck teased. "Looks like you're going to make me work hard."

"Come on" Blair said and grabbed his hand. "Let's take a tour of the place while the chef gets started on dinner. If you're a good boy I'll let you choose a room to christen right away."

* * *

That evening they sat down in the library and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Blair stretched out on the couch with her head in Chuck's lap while he read a book. The past couple of weeks had been exhausting, college taking up much of her time and the renovations of their apartment taking most of her out-of-school energy. It was a relief to be able to just relax for real for the first time in a year. No wedding plans, no college, no worries about their apartment. Just a nice and quiet evening and a couple of weeks of relaxing ahead.

"We should get a cat" she mused.

"Can't we just put a collar with a bell on Dorota?" Chuck asked, amused by the mental image.

"A place like this needs a cat."

"No pets" Chuck said. "Pets are annoying and in the way. I can get you a plushie to snuggle with."

She turned to lie on her back and looked up at him.

"So how are you doing?" she asked. "Talk to me. I feel like I haven't gotten to really talk to you in weeks. I've been so preoccupied with everything lately…"

"I can't say that there's been much new development since I told you about my day last night" Chuck smirked and caressed her hair.

"What about the house? Do you like this place?"

"If I didn't I wouldn't have bought it for you" Chuck answered and returned his eyes to the book he was reading. "Especially not as a wedding gift."

"We should start throwing parties this summer" Blair said. "Before we head off to France to see Daddy. We need to put ourselves on the social map out here. There can be no doubt that the Bass parties are the ones to be seen at, and the Basses are the people to be seen with."

"Maybe you can throw a Tupperware party" Chuck teased. "Seeing as you're all grown up now."

"Aren't you the comedian" Blair snorted. "No, I was thinking a fancy barbecue or a high class pool party."

"Mmm-hmm" Chuck mumbled.

"You're not even paying attention" Blair complained. "What are you reading that's so fascinating you can't listen to me for five seconds?"

"A ridiculously dull collection of poetry. Which should tell you a thing or two about how fascinating your current ramblings are."

"Poetry?" Blair echoed. "Do you have a fever?"

"I grabbed the wrong book from the bookshelf. I didn't notice until you were already lying with your head in my lap and I didn't want you to get up."

"Any good poems in there?"

"I hate poetry" Chuck reminded her.

"It would be romantic if you would recite one for me" Blair said sweetly.

"I carried you over the threshold a few hours ago. My romance account is all maxed out for today."

Blair rolled her eyes and decided the best punishment for him would be to stay quiet and force him to read his boring book. She rolled back over on her side and took a deep, relaxing breath. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this much at peace. It was probably sometime during the honeymoon, and five months had gone by since then.

The silence and Chuck's hand slowly caressing her hair begun to lull her to sleep. Unfortunately the silence was broken just when she was about to drift off. Dorota came in with a happy smile and a large tray in her hands.

"Hamptons is wonderful" she declared. "Will do you world of good, Miss Blair."

Blair frowned and reluctantly opened her eyes when she felt Chuck's hand leave her hair to put the book away on the end table. Dorota put the tray down on the coffee table in front of the newlyweds and beamed at them.

"Got nice tea for you" she said. "Apple cinnamon Mister Chuck, your favorite."

"Thank you Dorota" Blair said with complete lack of enthusiasm.

"You need to sit up" Chuck pointed out with a smirk.

She glared at him but reluctantly gave up her comfortable position and sat up straight next to him. She glanced over at the tray Dorota had brought. It did indeed have tea, as well as large sandwiches and a bowl of fruit salad.

"Dorota, thank you, that will be all" Chuck said.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's trying to fatten us for some specific purpose" Blair commented when Dorota had left. "We can't possibly eat all of this."

"Speak for yourself, I'm starved" Chuck said, grabbing the largest sandwich.

Blair grabbed the smallest sandwich and took a bite. She wasn't in the mood for a snack, still feeling full after dinner. She didn't get how all the men she knew could wolf down large amounts of food just a short while after eating a large meal.

"So what do you want to do out here, once all the christenings have been taken care of?" Chuck asked, grabbing his tea.

"Have you seen how many rooms are in this house?" Blair asked. "Christenings alone are going to take us at least a week. After that… Who knows? Maybe I'll throw one of those parties I talked about when you weren't listening."

"Or maybe I can kick your ass at tennis, like I always do."

Blair playfully made a face at him.

"The best part is," Chuck continued, "I won't even have to try and play badly anymore so that you won't feel inferior, I can completely annihilate you. Now that I've got my ring on your finger I won't have to try so hard to please you."

"Oh shut up" Blair said and gave him a push.

Chuck laughed and she couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe I just let you beat me at tennis" she said, grabbing the bowl of fruit. "You know, to preserve your fragile male ego. The same way I deliberately lose every time we play Monopoly."

"All both times we've played Monopoly since we graduated fourth grade?" Chuck said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup, both times."

"Please, I own you at Monopoly. I'm the successful businessman here, remember?"

"Oh really?" Blair said. "I could out-monopolize you with that little thimble tied behind my back."

"You can't even form a sentence that makes sense" Chuck grinned.

"Mr. Bass, you are on" Blair said, getting up from the couch.

"On? Where are you going? You've barely touched the fruit."

She put the bowl down and left the room in a purposeful stride. Chuck shook his head and grabbed another sandwich. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to follow her or not, but he had no intention of getting up until he had finished his tea.

Fifteen minutes later she returned with Monopoly. Chuck's eyebrows touched the ceiling.

"Seriously?"

"What? I told you you were on."

"Where did you even find that?"

She plopped down on the couch while Dorota came in and took the tray. Chuck gave her a displeased look. He wanted another sandwich but obviously that was out of the question.

"Thank you Dorota" Blair smiled.

"Seriously, where did you find that?" Chuck asked.

"The previous owners left behind a whole bunch of board games" Blair told him and opened the box. "And I am going to kick your ass in this one. You are going to be even more humiliated than you were the time I beat you at Halo. Now, I'm playing as the thimble. Which one do you want to be? Racecar?"

"I prefer the hat" Chuck said, grabbing it from the box.

"Terrier it is" Blair said, snatching the hat from him and placing the dog on the board instead. "My sweet little lapdog."

"_Now_ it is on" Chuck said, grabbing the fake money to start sorting through it.

* * *

An hour later Dorota came back to see if they wanted anything else, and found the two arguing like little children over the rules to the game.

"Why you play Monopoly just you two?" Dorota asked, giving them a look like they were both idiots.

"I'm proving a point" Blair said.

"Well if the point is that you don't understand the rules to Monopoly then I'd say you're doing wonderfully" Chuck said dryly.

"_I_ understand the rules" Blair snapped. "You are the one who--"

"Mister Chuck!" Dorota said firmly. "Miss Blair! You need more people to play Monopoly, otherwise is no sport. Now stop arguing and go to bed. Is late."

Blair cast Chuck a glare.

"She might have a point… This game isn't really meant for two to play. And crushing you isn't nearly as satisfying unless there are other people to defeat better than you defeat them."

"Fine" Chuck said and tossed the dog back into the box.

"Now go to bed" Dorota shooed them.

Blair obediently got up while Dorota began collecting the fake money and the cards that were scattered all over the table. With a heavy sigh Chuck got up as well, casually grabbing Blair's hand as they walked towards their upstairs bedroom.

"Are you sleepy?" Blair asked. "I'm not."

"Perhaps not sleepy, but definitely exhausted" Chuck answered. "Not to mention fed-up with board games."

"That's too bad" Blair said with a smirk. "I also found Ladders and Slides. Went ahead and put it in our bedroom."

"For what possible reason?"

"I want to play" Blair said and gave him a suggestive look. "Each time one of us lands on a slide that person has to take something off."

"Ladders and Slides, strip version? If you and I had hung out more when we were kids my childhood would have been much more interesting."

"And any time one of us lands on a ladder…" Blair continued, ignoring his comment, "… that person gets to touch or kiss the other wherever. Provided it's bared skin."

"I don't know what you eat for breakfast to make you so crazy, but I hope you never stop" Chuck said and followed her up the stairs.

* * *

"Nate!" Blair cried happily a few days later. "S! Oh my God, you're here!"

She flew down the last steps on the stairs and threw her arms around Serena. The latter had just walked through the door with Nate in tow, and burst out laughing when met with her best friend's excitement.

"Good to see you too, Bebe" she said.

Blair let go of her and hugged Nate, who grinned.

"How was the trip over?" Blair asked.

"Blair, it's just the Hamptons" Serena pointed out. "No need to act like we've just travelled across an ocean to visit your new summer house in Europe."

"In a few years you might be doing just that" Blair said.

She was thrilled to see them both. They had invited Nate and Serena to visit them over the weekend, sans girlfriends and boyfriends. It would be just the four of them, the Non-Judging Breakfast Club, like old times. The four of them hadn't hung out together without other people around since the night before the wedding.

"Where is your other half?" Nate asked.

"How do you like our Hamptons digs, Nathaniel?" Chuck asked, appearing on the stairs just as Nate asked the question.

"The place looks awesome" Nate said. "I don't know how you got your hands on it, but knowing you guys I'm not surprised the previous owners ended up selling."

"Well, I am Chuck Bass" Chuck said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "If I want something for my wife then I will have it."

"Come on" Blair said, grabbing Serena's hand. "We'll give you a tour."

The walk through the house took the better part of an hour, especially since Serena and Blair kept stopping to discuss various pieces of furniture. It only took three rooms for Nate and Chuck to be bored, and Chuck went ahead with Nate for a faster version of the tour.

Once Blair had shown everything inside to Serena they stepped outside, where Nate and Chuck were relaxing on sun chairs by the pool.

"Did you get everything in the tour?" Chuck teased. "Are you sure you didn't miss anything? Seems like you just rushed through the whole thing."

"I'm in a good mood, so I'm ignoring you" Blair chirped. "Have you guys taken the outside tour too?"

"We've been waiting for you" Chuck said and stood up. "Luckily there's a lot less furniture out here so it shouldn't take quite as long."

Blair just gave him a sunny smile and took his arm. They walked out on the grass with Nate and Serena in tow, and began the outdoors tour.

"So this is where your children will be learning how to play croquet?" Nate said after a while. "Where they'll be running around playing tag?"

"Well if they run around inside the house and break stuff I'm going to cut them out of my will" Chuck replied.

"Good to know you won't be softie parents" Serena commented.

"Curling is lame, in all its forms" Blair said with a smirk.

"I've got to say, you guys have made quite the find with this place" Nate said. "I just can't grasp that my best friend and my ex have this many grown-up points."

"B I'm not surprised at" Serena said. "Chuck on the other hand…"

"Let's not get carried away here" Chuck said. "There's plenty of youth left in us, believe me. Too much, if you ask Dorota. We may seem very adult to the casual eye, but trust me, we embrace our youthful qualities. In fact we've been playing Ladders and Slides every single night since we've been out here."

"Wow, hardcore" Nate said with rolling eyes.

"And we have some special plans for this weekend" Blair said as they walked back up to the pool.

"Oh yeah?" Serena said.

"Yeah" Chuck said.

He shared a quick glance with Blair and then he gave Serena a firm push, sending her flying into the pool. Serena's head appeared above water with a horrified shriek and a lot of sputtering. Nate stared at her in shock with his mouth gaping open.

"Nate!" Serena warned.

Before he could react Blair had given him a push as well, and he found himself in the water with Serena. When he got his head above water he shared a shocked look with Serena before they both turned to look at the people responsible for them being in the pool. Blair and Chuck stared back with confident smirks.

"What the hell?" Nate barked.

"My hair!" Serena whined. "My clothes! My _shoes_!"

"Your makeup…" Chuck added.

"Welcome to the Non-Judging Breakfast Club Hamptons Weekend, 2013 edition" Blair said. "Told you we still had childishness in us."

She then quickly jumped back, bringing Chuck with her, before Nate and Serena could start splashing water at them.

"We'll be inside" Chuck informed their guests. "Making sure lunch is on its way. Feel free to join us whenever you two kids are done playing in the pool, but remember, if you don't show up dry you don't get to eat."

Nate and Serena shared a confounded look as Chuck took Blair's arm and walked back inside with her.

* * *

"I cannot believe you guys pushed us into a pool" Serena complained once she was dried off and parked at the mahogany table for lunch.

"That's what brothers do, sis" Chuck smirked, reaching for the pasta salad Dorota had placed on the table.

"Really? Brothers ruin your high fashion outfit and your $500 shoes?"

Blair just giggled at Serena's annoyance. The look on Nate and Serena's faces had been well worth whatever Serena would force them to cough up for her ruined outfit.

"I was thinking we could go grocery shopping later" she said, smiling at her annoyed sister-in-law.

"Why?" Serena said in a grossed-out tone.

"For old-time's sake. We could load up the fridge with macaroons and champagne and have a festive weekend. If the weather holds up I'm thinking private pool party. If it doesn't, movie marathon."

"You think they sell macaroons and champagne at the local Seven-Eleven?" Nate asked with rolling eyes.

"Careful with the eye-rolling" Chuck said. "No matter how moronic my wife's comments may be I have exclusive mocking rights."

Blair snorted and gave him an annoyed nudge.

"I never say moronic things."

"Whatever you say dear" Chuck smirked.

"From the looks of it this weekend is going to be really warm" Serena said, returning to the previous topic. "So pool party then?"

"Which reminds me, how was the pool temperature?" Chuck asked.

"Over eighty degrees" Nate said.

"Good."

"Don't tell me you pushed us into the pool just to find out if the water was properly heated" Serena groaned.

"Okay" Blair said. "I don't mind lying. We totally didn't push you in the water for that purpose."

"I miss Tom" Serena groaned. "And a normal world."

Nate shook his head and laughed, grabbing the salad from Chuck. Being pushed into the pool hadn't bothered him too much. Especially not since he planned on retaliating the next time Blair stepped too close to the edge.

"Serena stop whining and eat up" Blair ordered. "Grocery shopping or not, there's still a ton of things for us to do before dinner so let's not waste more time complaining about a friendly shove into the pool."

Serena frowned but obediently started eating her food.

* * *

"If you don't have a Free Parking Jackpot then what the hell is the point of having that big pile of money in the middle of the board anyway?" Blair snarled that evening.

Nate groaned and leaned back on the couch. How come Blair and Chuck always bickered over the rules to whatever they were playing whenever they played anything?

"Winning the game should be done by strategy and game-play" Chuck argued. "Not by dumb luck."

"It _is_ game-play if it's part of the rules" Blair spit back.

"Yeah, but Free Parking Jackpot _isn't_ part of the rules. Do I have to show you the official game rules again?"

"_Okay_" Serena said. "We'll take a democratic vote. Go by house rules, or no?"

Blair's hand shot up in the air. Nate raised his as well, and Serena followed suit. Chuck made a very annoyed face but reluctantly nodded to Dorota, who was managing the bank, to hand the money over to Blair.

"There we go" Blair chirped.

Blair had insisted that they would play Monopoly after dinner and against all better judgment Serena and Nate had agreed. Serena hated Monopoly but didn't want to argue, and was now suffering through the game. The rules confused her and she didn't have the live-to-win attitude of Mr. and Mrs. Bass.

"Is it my turn now?" she asked with a defeated tone.

"Go right ahead" Blair said.

Serena rolled the dice and moved her top hat past Nate's wheelbarrow.

"No" she and Blair whined in sync when she landed on one of Chuck's properties.

"Paying a visit to my hotel, are you?" Chuck grinned. "Pay up, sis."

"This is the last time I play this game with you guys" Serena moped. "I'm almost broke."

"Then stop landing on Chuck's properties and start landing on mine" Blair said. "At least then your money will go to something worthwhile."

"Hand me the dice" Nate said. "And Serena maybe you should try buying more property. You can't get by with just Oriental Avenue."

"How am I supposed to be able to buy anything if you guys keep taking my money?"

"Why don't you just donate all your funds to the pile on the board and Blair can win them by dumb luck?" Chuck suggested.

"It isn't luck" Blair said. "It's karma. And Nate just landed on Serena's pathetic excuse for a business empire so I guess she does have some money after all."

"Yay" Serena said with a giggle. "Maybe I'll be able to keep up with you guys soon."

Blair doubted it but didn't comment. There were only three available properties left on the board and two of them were too expensive for Serena to buy. She would probably be bankrupt soon, which meant one less person to take out. Though in all fairness Serena wasn't too difficult to beat in games that involved strategy.

Nate was a different story. Having grown up playing against Blair and Chuck he had been forced to learn good game strategy and now he was a pretty tough competitor. He was nearly tied with Chuck at present, which made Blair want to gloat. She was ahead of both of them, but if Serena kept giving all her money away to Chuck by landing on his properties she wouldn't stay ahead for long.

"Hand me the dice Nathaniel" Chuck said. "My wife is still ahead of me, and while strategy and intellect may have nothing to do with the reason why she's in the lead, I still have to catch up and crush her."

"You shouldn't take game so seriously" Dorota objected. "Is just for fun."

"No" Chuck disagreed. "I have to prove to her once and for all who is the superior player. There can only be one master in the family."

"You are the only two people I know who can go cutthroat over bragging rights" Serena commented.

Chuck rolled the dice and wound up on one of Blair's properties. Blair shrieked happily and clapped her hands, earning her a growl from Chuck.

"Fork it over, little lapdog" she said and gave him a pat on the leg. "Good boy."

Serena laughed at the look on Chuck's face when he paid Blair. She was beginning to realize that if she focused more attention on observing the Basses than on playing the game she might actually have a pretty good time. From the looks of it, it would be a fun weekend.

* * *

Two days later the four of them were slumped in the sitting room, collectively suffering through an enormous hangover. Starting Saturday morning they had binged on alcohol and snacks, only eating proper food when Dorota had forced them to. Which she only did once before Chuck sent her back to New York to look after Jackie.

Between drinks and snacks the foursome had played around in the pool, learned why most people only played croquette while sober, and giggled their way through the latest horror movies. It had been a nearly 24 hour party, but now they were paying the price.

"Why did we send Dorota away?" Blair moaned, sprawled out on the couch. "I need to be pampered."

"Do you guys even remember most of yesterday?" Nate asked.

"Not really" Chuck said, rubbing his temples.

"Did we actually play tag on the streets at midnight, or...?" Serena asked.

"I have no idea" Chuck answered. "I can't remember much of anything after Blair jumped five feet in the air and screamed loud enough to give me tinnitus when we were watching that second film…"

"That was like six hours ago" Serena pointed out. "Way after midnight. And it was during the third film."

Chuck look confused but didn't say anything else. He curled up in the armchair he was sitting in and prayed for a miracle hangover cure.

The door opened and one of the servants came in with a tray full of water and bagels. Serena lifted her head from her spot on the rug but quickly let it fall back down when met with the light coming in from the open door.

"I can't believe we have to go back to the city in only four hours" she moaned.

"Mary is going to kill me" Nate groaned.

"Feel free to stay…" Blair said. "I for one won't be summoning the energy to throw you out. Spend another night here and go back after lunch tomorrow."

"Can't" Nate said. "I start my internship tomorrow."

"And I'm meeting my mom for lunch" Serena added.

"I'm sure Lily can reschedule" Chuck said. "Hand me a bagel."

Nate reached over from the couch he was lying on and managed to get his hands on a bagel. He threw it at Chuck who barely reacted when it landed on his shoulder.

"This wasn't nearly as memorable as the things we did when we were kids" Blair said.

"What are you talking about?" Nate asked. "I thought we had lots of fun."

"I was being literal. How much of it do you actually _remember_?"

Nate chuckled, but quickly regretted it and with a moan clutched his head.

"So ends another weekend…" Chuck mumbled from his armchair. "It was fun having you guys here but… perhaps a _little_ less alcohol next time."

"I haven't been this hung-over before, ever" Blair said, fighting back a wave of nausea. "I always pitied the fools who got too drunk. Like my husband."

"Ironically you were the first one to get plastered" Serena remembered. "It became obvious when you started singing '_Knocking on Heaven's Door_' at the top of your lungs whenever a croquet ball knocked into something."

"I did not!"

Blair groaned and rolled over on her side to reach for the water. It was really unfortunate that she remembered so little of what she was sure had been a marvelous weekend. She started gulping down water like there was no tomorrow and only stopped to shove a bagel down her throat.

"I want to go upstairs and crawl into bed but I'm too exhausted" Serena whined. "And my head is killing me."

"The fact that you keep talking is bringing a world of hurt to _my_ head" Chuck said. "Keep your mouth shut. You'll find it eases your headache."

Serena sighed but obediently kept quiet. She was unbelievably uncomfortable lying on the rug on the floor but she couldn't muster the strength to find a more comfortable place to suffer through the hangover.

"Good times…" Blair mumbled from her spot on the couch, before she drifted off to sleep.

"Please don't wake us when you leave" Chuck said and soon started snoring.

Serena opened her eyes and looked from one of them to the other. She then rolled over on her back and moaned.

"I'm so going to be sick in the car" Nate muttered.

"Ew" Serena frowned. "Nate!"

With a groan she picked up the pillow Chuck had tossed from the armchair and put it over her head. If this was what it was going to be like to visit Chuck and Blair in the Hamptons she might need a whole lot of convincing before she came back for another visit.

* * *

A kiss woke Blair up in the morning. She smiled before opening her eyes, and smiled even wider when her eyes met Chuck's. He held a rose to her face and gently let it brush her lips. Her hands caressed his face as he leaned in for another kiss.

"It's funny" she said. "Ever since we started going out I've loved waking up in the morning."

"Happy anniversary" Chuck said.

"We got married in December" Blair pointed out. "It's May."

He chuckled and settled in next to her.

"Yes, if I were congratulating you on our wedding anniversary I would be way off" Chuck said. "Although look on the bright side, I would be early and not late, since we haven't had a wedding anniversary yet."

He held the rose up to her again and she took it, smelling it for a second.

"But if you recall…" he continued. "Today happens to be four years since I first told you that I love you. Four years of us being a couple."

"Oh…" Blair said. "_That_ anniversary."

"You mean you forgot?"

"Honestly… I don't even know what day of the week it is. Since Nate and Serena left the days have just been a haze to me. Partially because you decided the best way to cure that massive hangover was to smoke some pot."

"You had one joint" Chuck laughed. "It left your system days ago."

"Well, there have been other things making me lose track of time" she said and kissed him hungrily.

"Mmm… Such as?"

"Volleyball."

The unexpected answer made him laugh out loud. They hadn't played volleyball. They had barely stuck their noses outside of the house, since the weather had shifted the day after Serena and Nate returned to the city. They had spent most of their time lounging in bed, curled up in the sitting room with books, or watching old movies.

"I can't believe I didn't realize today was our anniversary" Blair said. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?"

"On the other hand, you only woke up about two minutes ago" Chuck said. "Plus I really don't mind that you forget, because I have a feeling you will make it up to me in a fashion that is very well received."

Blair smirked. She hadn't forgotten what day it was. She just liked making things up to Chuck in the way he had in mind.

"So do you have any big plans for us today?" she asked, gently running her fingers over the petals of the rose. "Big anniversary celebration?"

"I thought we could have sex in the limo."

"Chuck."

"On our way to the restaurant where I got us a table for tonight. And on the way back, of course. And no, I won't tell you which restaurant, that is going to be a surprise."

"I think I can pry it out of you" Blair smiled. "But maybe I'll let you keep your little secret."

"How very generous."

She laughed. He rolled over on top of her and began kissing her.

"Mr. Bass…" she said. "Collecting my making it up to you already?"

"You've been awake for about five minutes now, so I'd say I've waited far longer than reasonable."

Her hands searched for the buttons on his pajama jacket. If this was how their fourth anniversary began then she couldn't wait to find out how it would end.

* * *

Half an hour later Blair was curled up in Chuck's arms, fingering the rose now lying on the pillow next to him. Chuck had his arms wrapped tightly around her and was still kissing her. The day was getting better and better.

"You know…" Chuck said between kisses. "This isn't just our four year anniversary."

"I know" Blair mumbled.

"It is also one year to the day since I got down on one knee in the limo."

"You've gotten down on your knees in that limo half a dozen times."

"I know, but this time it was only _one_ knee… Happy anniversary of our engagement, Mrs. Bass."

She grinned widely and caressed his cheek with her left hand, knowing he enjoyed feeling the rings she wore against his skin.

"So did you get everything you were hoping for a year ago when you popped the question?" she asked. "Or had you expected more than what you ended up getting?"

"What I ended up getting was my favorite girl, bound to me for life" Chuck smiled. "These past 365 days have been even better than I anticipated. Except for the whole no-sex-for-six-months thing which was awful."

"Which I made up for" Blair pointed out. "And I did it in only five months, which is impressive considering that it means we pretty much had sex twice as much as we usually do."

"Which reminds me, we need to get another jar… and we're out of marbles again."

Blair grinned and kissed him again. They then took a pause from the kissing and just looked at each other for a while.

"I really am glad you accepted my proposal" Chuck said after a while. "Even when you were at your craziest during the planning process I knew there was nobody else I'd want to spend my life with. I also knew that I wouldn't want to live the rest of my life without you in it."

"Good thing I'm here to stay then" Blair smiled. "You have no idea how happy _I_ am that you proposed. I'm Mrs. Chuck Bass… I can't think of anything that could happen in the next 365 days that would top that."

He smiled and began to kiss her again.

"Happy anniversary, Mrs. Bass…"

"Happy anniversary to you too, husband…"

* * *

Thus endeth the story. Hope you enjoyed the way it ended.

I know some of you have been asking for a continuation. This particular story won't be getting any further chapters obviously, but I have been toying with ideas for two "spin-offs", or companion pieces. From how it seems right now they won't be up anytime soon, but I hope you'll choose to read them if I ever do move them past synopsis stage.

The first idea is one I've currently named "Baby Steps", which is basically the same premise as this story, only instead of centering around Chairs engagement it would be about their first pregnancy. This idea I really liked, but the problem is I have very little experience in that area and I'd rather save it until I can write it from a more realistic perspective than what online research can provide.

The second idea is fairly simple, and currently called "Anniversaries". My idea here was that each chapter takes place during their wedding anniversary, essentially summarizing what's been going on each year of their marriage. My problem with this story at present is that I want it, and the pregnancy one, to exist in the same 'verse as this one and I haven't yet figured out how to write the second story idea without tying my hands too much with the pregnancy one. If that makes sense.

Okay, that's enough rambling out of me. Hope I'll see you all again if I do write either one of those two companion stories.

Thank you so much for being with me to the end! Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and of the series as a whole. You reviewers are invaluable!

XO XO


End file.
